Life Interrupted
by DreaC
Summary: When the Cullens leave the house to 3 hybrids and 4 Quiluete wolves, how will they fare? With new budding love, fresh heartbreak, and buried secrets resurfacing, will all these different personalities clash or can they make it work?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So Life interrupted is a little different than WLA. It's co-written by my best friend BSean, and it switches POVs and it also has LOTS MORE LEMONS and more humor. This is the sequel to both What Lies Ahead and Growing Up Volturi (BSean's story). ****It is not necessary to have read these stories first**. **We explain what happens in lots of detail.**

**Pairings: NessieXJacob, QuilXClaire, SethXOC(Nema), OCXOC(RasikaXAntonia), LeahXOC(Jaime)**

**Here basically is the Summary of Life Interrupted and then entire summary beginning to end for the other two stories.**

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><p><strong>Life Interrupted:<strong>

With the battle between The Cullen family and friends and the Volturi coming to a life changing end, new ties are made. Nema found Seth, and through the magic of imprinting their love flourished, but with jealousy filling the air will their love for one another be enough? Rasika imprinted on Antonia, a former member of the Volturi guard. They completed and healed the hurt from each other's past, but will Antonia's blood lust destroy their relationship? When Renesmee returns to Forks, can she endure the secrets her friends have been keeping? And can she and Jake manage to forget the past and find their way back to each other? As Claire's feelings start to change for Quil a bit earlier than he expected, will he be ready or will he let the chance to be with Claire get away? Also, when tragedy strikes, how will the group cope? Up until now, no one has seen or heard from Aro and Nahuel since they escaped from the battle. What will the group do if they come back to retaliate?

**Growing Up Volturi**: After the almost war with the Volturi at the end of Breaking Dawn, Aro's curiosity and desire to have hybrids in his guard leads him to Mexico City to find Nahuel's sisters and father. Nahuel's younger sister Antonia, a powerful telepath even as a baby, is only a year old when she arrives in Italy and is raised by her sister Hunter and Aro. She joins the guard when she is six, but soon becomes unhappy with the direction her life is heading in as a member of the elite guard and Aro's executioner. Nahuel goes to the Volturi to start another war with the Cullen's and during this fight for her survival she is imprinted on by Sam's half sister, Rasika. Rasika was born and raised in London after her father left Sam's mother. He left her mother soon after he found out about her pregnancy. At sixteen Rasika's adopted father and mother moved her family to Toronto. When she was nineteen a nomadic vampire in Toronto prompted her transformation into a wolf. She survived as a wolf for thirteen years before she found the Quileutes.

In **What Lies Ahead,** Renesmee Cullen discovered the magic of imprinting and through many ups and down of a life filled with secrets, she came to terms about her feelings for Jacob. When a threat from the Volturi came the family was thrown into turmoil and forced once again to face the Volturi in a fight. With the Volturi not taking no for an answer, the family was forced to set their one final plan into action. They sent Nessie and Jacob to Florida, safely out of harm's way. While settling into life with her grandmother, Renee, Nessie received the news that three of her friends were killed in battle. Guilt and sadness transformed her into someone that she could no longer recognize, and she suppressed anything involving the past. All she ever wanted was to return home to her family and friends, but when the call came she was too distraught to face them, sending Jacob on the journey home alone.

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><p><strong>For your convenience, here is a recap of what happened in the battle and it also introduces the other characters from the story.<strong>

**Back to the Battle**

**Nessie's POV**

_The Volturi stopped in their tracks, their faces portraying shock and confusion. Their heads whipped wildly around in every direction, not focusing on one particular thing, as their hands went out in front of them as if they were feeling their way to their destination. _

_Dad turned to Mom. "Zafrina has blinded them," he said in an urgent voice. _

_Mom took a bag that she had been hiding in her jacket pocket and handed it to me. "Go, Renesmee. Now! Jake, keep her safe." _

_No! I yelled in my thoughts._

_I stood there looking from one to the other. They wanted me to leave while they stayed and fought. They wanted me to live while they died. I couldn't condone it, and I would not leave my family and friends to die. All of them were fighting because of me._

"_Go now!" Dad whispered fiercely into my ear._

_When I still didn't move, Jacob nudged me with his nose. I sighed in defeat and got on his back and we ran. We ran from the death sentence that hung over our heads, freeing ourselves from the battle at hand while everyone else stayed to fight._

**Jacob's POV**

_Through the others' eyes, I could see smoke and piles of ash. There was a sadness associated with the image that I couldn't understand, but it all came together within seconds. The smoking stacks weren't ash, they were vampires. At the realization, air whooshed out of my lungs painfully. _

_Who? I thought to no one in particular._

_Zafrina, Senna, and Ben, Embry answered somberly._

_A whine escaped me at the news. This would devastate my angel. Over the years Zafrina and Senna had become extended aunts to her and Ben was like a big brother._

_How did this happen?_

_Zafrina could only keep them blinded long enough for you two to escape. Once her powers faltered, the Volturi attacked. We were all busy fighting, so we didn't know that the odds weren't in Zafrina's favor as she was being cornered by more than one of them. Senna realized what was happening first and she tried to even the odds, but she wasn't the strongest fighter and by the time any of us realized that they needed help, they were being dismembered and burned._

_A lump was forming in my throat as I saw the events occurring in Embry's thoughts as he recanted the tragedy. I didn't even want to know how Ben was murdered, but his thoughts had taken that turn on their own accord. I was seeing Carlisle fighting Caius, but Alec was sneaking up behind him. I wanted to yell out to Carlisle to move out of the way, but I knew it would do no good. All of a sudden, Ben sprang into the space between them, but he was defenseless against the black mist that had rendered him senseless. Embry wanted to help him but Jane was keeping him and Leah busy._

**Antonia's POV**

I leapt at the Cullens not really expecting to do any damage. I just wanted to take out the Amazon so the rest of my family could get away. Nema jumped out and cut me off. I couldn't avoid her and she rammed right into me. I could hear the Volturi's thoughts in the background. Their vision was coming back into focus. It was all the opportunity I needed. Nema and I started to circle and dance around each other. I decided that no matter what side Nema was on she needed to be safe.

_Nema, listen to me. You have to leave. Take your wolf and go. This is going to get really ugly really quick, _I warned her.

_I can't leave. Seth will never leave his brothers, and I can't leave him, _she told me honestly.

_Okay, I tried. I hope you and Seth make it. _I turned and ran toward the Amazon I had originally targeted. She and her sister were giving Hunter and the others a run for their money. I flew into the center of the circle and ripped the Amazon's head off. I heard the other Amazon scream before being silenced by the others.

_Hunter_ _take the others and Demetri and leave. No one will notice, because the fighting is too bad. _I needed my family to survive.

_Antonia, what about you? _She was always questioning me. I wasn't that self-sacrificial. I was coming, too.

_I'll meet you I have to get Chelsea and make sure she gets out in time. This whole fight is already falling to shit, _I thought behind me. I couldn't leave my best friend. I ran towards her. She was being ganged up on by three female vampires. I noted the huge wolf lying on the ground behind them. It was odd, but I assumed it was hurt. In the two seconds it took me to cross the field I saw the Spanish vampire rip Chelsea's head from her body and toss it in the nearest pyre. It was over. I was too late, and I was mad. I felt the push against my mind as I mentally threw both of the other two into the trees behind us. I was going to kill that bitch. The great white wolf whined and growled from the ground, but didn't move to get up.

I crouched low and circled the other vampire. She did the same for me. I was glad for it, she wouldn't hold back. "You don't stand a chance, slut!" she hissed at me.

"I'm going to rip you apart for what you've done, Punta!" I snarled. I would burn her for what she did to Chelsea. I prepared to spring when the wolf lying on the ground jumped in between us.

_Rester loin de' elle. Elle este a moi! _I couldn't believe her thoughts. She had told the other vampire to get away from me, yes, but she had told her that I was hers. I assumed I was her kill, but when the Denali, Carmen, walked away I had to make sure.

_What do you mean 'I'm yours'?_

**Leah's POV **

At this point the fighting had begun and Jake had gone to the back of my mind as I led the pack in the war against the Volturi. The fight was anything but cut and dry. There was way more going on here than in a normal fight. So many mental battles were being played out here. The battle went on for a while and I picked up on something that seemed out of place in my head. There was another person now present in my mind, a female. Rasika, a member of Sam's pack and also his half sister, had broken free of Sam's pack and joined Jake's. I could see in her mind her reasoning behind this. These were reasons that I wasn't too pleased with at all. She had imprinted on a member of the Volturi. This girl was trained to kill, and we were trained to kill her. I could tell from this moment on that being acting Alpha brought an extra headache that I wasn't even ready for.

**Antonia's POV (hours after the battle)**

We were getting close to the Cullen home. Rasika thought they might give me a place to stay since I was afraid to test my control and stay around humans. We broke into a clearing that led up to a massive house. I put my game face on. I was going to have to be strong. I was truly sorry I had killed their friend, but that was to protect my sisters. I knew this was not going to end well when Edward Cullen and his brother Emmett ran out of the house snarling.

"What the Hell is she doing here, Rasika?" Emmett Cullen snarled. I dropped my stuff and crouched low in front of Rasika ready to spring for his throat to protect my mate. He kept running toward us and wouldn't slow down. Edward was convinced that someone else was going to die tonight, and I had to agree with him.

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><p><strong>Additional Info:<strong>

**Nahuel's family Tree:**

**Sisters: Nema, Hunter, Neitiri, Antonia, Genvieve, Mackenzie, and Elizabeth.**

**Nema lives with the Cullens after imprinting on Seth.**

**Sam's half-sister: Rasika**

**Imprinted on Volturi member Antonia.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/n: This back tracks to the end of the battle. Hope you guys enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: After math<strong>

**Antonia's POV**

"_What the Hell is she doing here, Rasika?" Emmett Cullen snarled. I dropped my stuff and crouched low in front of Rasika ready to spring for his throat to protect my mate. He kept running toward us and wouldn't slow down. Edward was behind him and was convinced that someone else was going to die tonight and I had to agree with him. _

"Enough! She is my imprint and now has the protection of the pack. Edward, think about what you are doing before you try to attack her," I heard Rasika tell Edward strongly.

_Stop, please, there's been enough death in all our lives,_ I thought to them both. They stopped but remained in defensive crouches, snarling at me. I understood their rage. Good people died today for the wrong reasons. I could have held them and beat them both in a fight, butI refused to use my gifts on them for anything other than negotiation.

"Son, what is going on out here?" I heard their leader Carlisle say as he walked across the lawn towards us.

"It seems a member of Jake's pack imprinted and she thought it was a good idea to bring her here," Edward explained as Carlisle finally reached us. I heard him suck in an unnecessary breath when he saw me. I listened to his thoughts as he replayed the Volturi's march into the clearing paying particular attention to me this time.

"You are one of Nahuel's sisters." It hadn't been a question. He knew exactly who I was. Nema was coming out of the house towards us during our exchange.

_Antonia, you're alive. I'm so glad you made it. _I looked at Carlisle, ignoring my sister. Now that her life wasn't in danger, I felt it was okay to be mad at her for abandoning us.

"I'm sorry to intrude, Dr. Cullen, but considering the circumstances, Sam isn't happy with her being on the reservation right now, and Toni isn't comfortable around humans so a hotel was out of the question. I was wondering if it would be possible for her to stay here?" Rasika asked after she shook Carlisle's hand. I felt like I should chime in since I was the one who needed a place to stay.

"I can understand that it may be hard to have me around considering what has happened, but I only need a couch to sleep on once a week. I can stay in the forest the rest of the time. Rasika just isn't comfortable with me sleeping outside with Aro and my brother still out there." I finished at almost a whisper.

"Don't be ridiculous," Dr. Cullen stated. "We can find room for you in the house. You are a guest, and I'm assuming you are no longer Volturi, judging from Rasika's hesitancy to allow you in a situation where you may be confronted with Aro ."

"She can share my room," Nema offered.

"We need to talk to the family before it is final, but I'm sure there won't be any issues." Carlisle motioned for me to follow him into the house. I grasped Rasika's hand and stepped in behind him.

"I need to go and talk to Jake's beta. She's waiting for me. I'll be close. If you need me, call me." Rasika looked down at me with a worried expression, trying to ensure my safety. I nodded at her to leave. She leaned down and kissed me softly on the lips before running into the tree line around the Cullens' home where a small grey wolf was sitting. I looked forward as we walked up the steps into the front doors.

Upon entering the house, all conversation stopped. Everyone knew exactly who I was and my role in the death of the amazons. I wanted to shrink into myself with shame, but that wasn't an option so I resigned to be strong and face it. Carlisle called the immediate family into the dining room, which I thought was strange in a house that never ate.

"It is for serious family discussions," Edward said, having heard my thoughts. I could definitely see where that could get annoying. I suddenly understood what my sisters had gone through my whole life. Edward let a half smile show through at my inner thoughts. Although he was mad about the battle, he was glad to have someone who understood what it was like to have to hear the thoughts surrounding them.

"What is she doing here?" a blonde sitting next to Emmett Cullen sneered.

"My name is Antonia, and I want to apologize for starters. I knew from my brother and Aro's thoughts that this battle was a sham. I just didn't want to fully believe that the vampires who raised me would be so cruel as to not at least have a reason for a trial. I could see the humans in every wolf's mind in the clearing, and I thought we were right for being there." I earned a round of collective hisses for that one. "I was wrong though. I understand that now. Imprinting is too strong to lie to your mate. I'm sorry that I allowed myself to participate in something so monstrous. I'm sorry I didn't listen to my instincts when they told me to leave once I entered that clearing. I'm sorry about your friends, but most of all I'm sorry to all of you for the Hell I have put you through. You have every right to hate me and want to burn me. Instead though I need to ask not only for your forgiveness, but I need to ask a favor also. I want to stay here in Washington with Rasika, but I was raised on human blood. I don't trust myself to be around humans this soon. I want to ask if it would be possible for you to allow me to stay in this house with you and learn more about your diet." I slowly exhaled as I looked around the table at the golden eyes staring back at me.

They all turned away to look at Edward so that he could confirm whether or not I was telling them the truth. When he nodded everyone relaxed visibly.

"First, I would like to know if you could give us an overview of your gifts. Second, Nema has already offered her a spot in her room. I would like her to answer my question first then we will vote. Yes if she can stay and no if you want her to leave," Carlisle told the group collectively.

"I am a telepath. I can connect my mind to others and have conversations. I am able to read thoughts and memories sort of like how Aro was able to, but I don't receive the information automatically I have to actively search someone's mind. I am also able to manipulate other aspects with my mind such as moving objects or holding down opponents. I don't like for my gifts to be used as weapons, but I'm afraid they were Aro's favorites. I was the Volturi's executioner for a few years because of my ability to rip vampires apart without touching them. I can be dangerous, but I don't want to be and I feel a lot of remorse for what I was told to do," I finished solemnly. This was the most serious I had been in a long time.

"We will move to the vote." Carlisle nodded toward the blonde bombshell next to Emmet.

"No," the blonde stated without pausing.

"No." Emmett sided with his wife.

"Yes." A small vampire with black spiky hair responded.

"Yes. Where would I be if you had turned me away?" a blonde male responded.

"Of course you can stay," the woman I knew to be Carlisle's wife answered.

"Yes," Carlisle gave his vote.

"I vote yes, too," Nema spoke up from her place closest to me. It was Edward and Bella's turn to cast their vote. They took a few seconds to have a mental conversation before Bella spoke for both of them. I concentrated hard fighting my mind's natural defenses and closed their connection off to give them privacy and Edward smiled at me for it.

"We would never turn away someone who comes wanting to change, particularly when they were forced to join the Volturi in the first place. We vote yes." The last vote was in and I would be staying with the Cullens.

"Antonia, you are different from other hybrids I have met. I was wondering if you mind running some tests to see why?" Carlisle asked me with curiosity, and I was more than happy to figure out why I was so different.

_Of course, Carlisle_, I thought to him. His face first held confusion and then a smile appeared.

_Thank you. All of you for your kindness. _I wanted to insure the rest of the family knew how grateful I was.

_Can we talk, Antonia?_ Nema asked hesitantly in her mind, using the form of communication I had used with her when I was younger, and they had discovered my abilities to read minds and project my thoughts into their minds.

_Fine, but just know that I don't trust you. You are going to have to work really hard to earn that. _I turned and led Nema out of the Cullen house and broke into a run until we were just outside of Edward's hearing range.

"Okay, Nema, talk." I leaned my back against a tree and crossed my arms over my chest. I couldn't wait to hear this.

**Nema's POV**

I stood there looking at my now very grown up younger sister leaning against a tree, waiting expectantly on what I had to say. The truth was I didn't really know what to say to her. It was so nerve -racking that I couldn't look at her and know what she was thinking, because the truth was I didn't know Antonia at all. She was a baby when I abandoned her, and now she was a fully matured hybrid. She said that I would have to work hard to earn her trust back and I completely understood that.

"I need to apologize to you, Antonia," I whispered.

"Don't tell me that you went for help because unless you built a time machine or a worm hole or something to transport you to Brazil and back in the ten minutes it would have taken you to do any real good…" She hissed at me unable to finish her statement.

I couldn't look at her, so I looked down at my feet. Looking at her made my heart ache for the years that we lost and for the coward I had been for jumping out of the window, leaving my sisters only to save myself from the Volturi.

"Though you won't believe me, the plan was to go for help," I said, knowing that she would shoot the idea down automatically.

"That's bullshit and you know it. Nema, I remember watching you put me in bed, and then I watched you jump out the window without looking back. You knew what the Volturi could do to us and you left us anyway!" Her posture was stiff, her arms folded. She looked at me with pure disgust, but I could see something else there, as well.

"What could I do if I had stayed?" I asked, wanting her to see my thought process.

"I don't know, have you ever heard of sticking with your family? That's a fucking concept," she raised her voice.

"I'm not a strong fighter, Antonia. You may have been too young to know that but it's true. Everyone knew it, our father knew it, Hunter knew it. Why do you think that she sent me to put you to bed instead of one of the others? If it came to a fight, I would have just been in the way." I was always thought of as the fragile sister, the sister who needed to be taken care of. I hated violence, but I was taught to kill humans to survive, but finding Seth and the Cullens was the perfect life for me. No human had to die so that I could live.

Antonia showed me the memory of myself standing with the Cullens as we waited for the battle with the Volturi to begin. I noticed the painful undercurrent of the memory as she laid eyes on me. _You sure were standing with the Cullens ready to fight. What changed, Nema? You can fight with strangers, but you won't fight with and for your own family?_

_You know why I had to fight._ _ Though it's still new to you, would you have let Rasika fight while you ran away?_ I knew that she understood how powerful imprinting was. She didn't have to answer; I saw the answer in her eyes. I knew she would have made the same choice. _The other reason I agreed without hesitation to fight was because I thought you all were dead, and I wanted to take out at least one of the bastards that I thought had killed my sisters._

Antonia didn't respond nor did her disposition soften toward me in the least. I took notice that my sister was very stubborn. _You can _see_ that I'm telling the truth! You know that I'm not lying to you. I thought that Nahuel could help, I really did! I didn't know that he was some self righteous, glory seeking prick! I went to him, begging for his help and we came back to Mexico, but only to find that no one was there. I thought that they had killed you and disposed of the bodies._

She laughed without humor. _You trusted Nahuel? Nema, I knew you were a coward, but you must be stupid too! What could he do? You ran for days just to help us? That doesn't sound too smart. You wanted help from someone who was days away. It would take days to get to him and days to get back. What did you think the Volturi would do in your absence? Have a fucking tea party and wait for you to come back?_

_I don't know how many ways I can say I'm sorry. I don't know how many times I can explain. I didn't know that Nahuel wouldn't be any help. My thoughts were centered on helping you. I didn't want them to kill my sisters and take you away to be made into a trained killer._

I saw right then and there in her eyes that nothing I had said, or could say would sway her. Antonia would have to forgive me on her own accord, and in time learn to trust me again._ Well one of those things happened. I was raised to kill, thanks for all the help you brought us when you ran. For nine years, I've seen you as a coward, even hated you for how you abandoned us._

_You must not completely hate me. During the fight you told me to run. You must still care if you wanted me out of harm's way._ I was holding on to that glimmer of hope, and maybe one day we could be close.

_I know that family is where my allegiance lies. If the situation was reversed, you wouldn't have had to watch me run away. _She began walking away then. When she was a few yards away, she said, "I appreciate you giving me somewhere to sleep, but don't expect sisterly bonding."

I watched her head toward the house, and I gave her time to get there before I began walking in that direction. As I got closer, I began to feel that familiar pull grow in magnitude which only meant that Seth was near. He was standing on the porch, and he began walking toward me. I closed my eyes and leaned fully into him when he wrapped his arms around me. I was exhausted, physically and emotionally. The fight had brought me to the brink of exhaustion, and I was sorrow filled at the lost of Zafrina, Senna, and Ben. Joy filled me at the realization that my sisters were alive, only to be brought back down by the fact that they hated me for leaving them. For the first time today, tears spilled from my eyes.

Seth soothed me, kissing my hair and ensuring me that everything was fine now. "It's been a long day, I know, but you're going to be fine. Everything will work out with your sister, I promise. What do you say we give Antonia some space tonight and you stay over at my place?"

I just nodded, hugging myself to him tighter, not wanting to let go. We had both been through so much, and being in each other's arms was comforting. After a while, I released him, settling for holding his hand as we sat on the steps of the porch. "How was the pack meeting?" I asked.

"It was short. Leah gets straight to the point."

We were silent for a while before he kissed my forehead and asked, "You ready to go?" And with that we made our way to La Push for the night.

**Rasika's POV **

I felt her presence drift farther and farther away from me. I could feel the pain bury its way into my chest as I walked toward Leah. I could tell by her stance that she was going to chew me a new asshole. Seth was there along with Quil waiting for me to phase for the pack meeting.

I walked in to the tree line pulling off the skirt and shirt that Toni had loaned to me. I stopped as I pulled the shirt over my head to draw in Toni's scent that saturated the clothes in my hands. Smelling her in my hands brought back the memories of her in the clearing with me. I could feel the moisture pooling and running down my naked legs. Leah growled at me to regain my attention and the boys let lose these coughing, wolfy laughs. I phased quickly and got a full on assault of the boys actually laughing in their heads.

_Awww, Nema's sister finally made Rasika a woman! _Quil wailed into my head.

He was followed, of course, by Embry. _Hey, Seth, Rasika is fucking your sister now too!_

_Did she clear those cob webs out for ya, Rasika!_

I growled at them both_. _

_Quil, why are you laughing? At least my imprint is old enough to get me off. How are those blisters healing up? _Quil shut up but Embry started laughing even harder.

_Okay, everybody shut up. Bella and Edward had a plan that sent Jake and Ness out of harm's way, so I'm the Alpha until he gets back. We need to start running patrols continuously starting tonight until Nahuel and Aro are either found or out of our area. Quil and I will run first along with a couple members of Sam's pack. Seth, Embry, and Rasika, get some rest your patrol will start at 4 o'clock in the morning. _Seth walked away into the trees, but I just stood up and phased. I was so used to the guys seeing me naked anyway I wasn't bothered by it.

Seth came out of the bushes and walked with me to where Toni had dropped her bags. "So you imprinted. That's big."Seth smiled down at me.

"Yeah, she's great. When it was just the two of us she wasn't so intense. She was fun and outgoing. I feel like I got to see the real her." I drifted into my own thoughts.

"So she is kind of like your polar opposite. You can be quiet and a little standoffish around new people. I know you forgot how to be around people but I think it probably has a little bit to do with how Sam treated you when you first got here, too. He put you through a lot with the DNA test and all. I hope that your imprint will help you open up," Seth stated cautiously.

"You know, Seth, you may just be my favorite wolf and my new best friend. I think I might actually enjoy being in this pack." I leaned down and grabbed Toni's duffle and computer bag.

"Wonder where they're going?" Seth asked out loud to nobody in particular. Confused, I looked up to see Toni and Nema running into the trees on the other side of the river. I felt the familiar pain in my heart spreading.

"Seth, will the pain ever stop when she leaves?" I asked, hoping that the pain did indeed stop showing up one day or I was going to go insane.

"Nope, it never stops coming, you just get used to it eventually," Seth said in a matter of fact tone as we entered the Cullen house.

"Bollocks. That is not what I wanted to hear. I can see it now: imprint goes to mailbox and werewolf dies of heart failure. Where is Nema's room?" Seth and Edward started to laugh at my comment.

"Third floor. It's the only room up there, you can't miss it." Seth continued to laugh. I scowled at him and made my way up the stairs to Nema's room. I opened the door and placed the bags on the floor at the foot of the bed and looked around the room that my imprint, my hybrid, my woman, would be sharing with her sister and smiled. I was truly happy for the first time since my change, and I couldn't wait to start my life with my Toni.

**Antonia's POV **

I walked away from my sister still fuming at our discussion. Nine years of abandonment issues were making themselves known in my head. I was furious that she would fight with the Cullens but not her own blood. I was also mad at myself. I wanted to hate Nema for that but I understood her position. I may have been the newest imprint, but already I would rather die than allow Rasika to feel pain or fear when I could be there to help. She couldn't leave Seth to fight while she had the power to help.

I was still mulling over my talk with Nema as I began to feel an unfamiliar pull in the direction of the house. I looked up to see Rasika smiling down at me from the porch. I quickly closed the distance between us and snuggled into her side. Her heat wasn't stifling, it was the comfort I needed after today. I gently kissed the sensitive area at the hollow of her throat.

_How was your talk with your sister? _Rasika asked me gently. I could gather from her thoughts that she was hoping I wasn't too upset.

_It was difficult, I'll admit. I've been so angry at her for so long. I know I need to let it go, but I'm not ready to just yet. How was your meeting?_

_It was short and slightly embarrassing. _I laughed as she remembered what my scent had caused her to do in front of her new pack brothers and Leah._ Oh, you think that's funny, huh. _I couldn't even give her a verbal answer and I was too busy picturing the wolves laughing at her to even give her a mental one. I just nodded my head and kept laughing. To my relief she started laughing with me. I managed to compose myself before I walked in the Cullen house.

"Carlisle, did you still want to run those tests tonight?" I asked.

"Yes, I would if you are up to it tonight."

"I already slept this week so yeah, let's do it," I replied enthusiastically. I had always been curious about why I was so different from other hybrids.

_I need to rest. I have patrol starting at four this morning, _Rasika thought to me quietly. I could see in her mind that she didn't want to leave me. She turned to head for the door, and the uncomfortable feeling in my chest started to make itself known.

"Carlisle, on second thought can we wait until morning?" I asked Carlisle.

"Yes, of course, there is no rush. I'll be awake," Carlisle replied casually and chuckled at his little joke.

"Thank you." I turned to Rasika and grabbed her hand.

_Don't leave me yet, please. _I wanted her to stay with me so bad, even if she was just going to sleep. I had a feeling watching her sleep was going to become my new favorite hobby.

"Okay, I'll stay with you." She smiled as I led her up the stairs to my shared room. Upon opening the door I noted my bags lying at the foot of the bed.

"You brought my stuff in for me?" I asked stunned that anyone would think enough about me to even consider that I had left my stuff outside. Hell, I hadn't even thought that I had left my stuff outside.

"Well, yeah I did. I knew that you hadn't brought it inside so, you know. I wanted to go ahead and do it for you." She looked down at the gold carpet sheepishly. I was thrown for a loop by such a simple expression of her love for me. I traced her jaw line to her full pouted lips with my fingertips and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. She gave me a bright smile that went all the way up to her eyes. I placed my hand on her stomach to keep her from launching herself at me. The only thing stopping me from ripping the clothes off of her was her need for sleep.

"Sleep now. I don't want to have to worry about you while you're on patrol," I explained at her look of rejection. She nodded and crawled into the king sized bed. Once she was comfortable, she looked up at me with her big brown eyes while I crawled into bed beside her. I wasted no time snuggling into her chest with her arms wrapped around me.

_Shit, I forgot to set an alarm to wake me up, _Rasika thought to herself.

_I'll wake you up in time, don't worry,_ I replied to her.

"You being in my head all the time is going to take some getting used to," Rasika whispered sleepily.

"I can stay out if you'd like," I told her. I didn't want to sever the connection but I never wanted her to feel uncomfortable either.

"No, I said I would have to get used to it. If there is one person who I wouldn't mind having to share my thoughts with it's you. I mean, come on, I have Embry and Quil in my head on a regular basis. I can already see that will be an adventure." She yawned. I felt her drift off to sleep beside me as her breathing became deep and even.

She was so peaceful in sleep that I didn't want to wake her up until I absolutely had to. I finally brought myself to wake Rasika five minutes till four. She jumped up with a start, but calmed down when I reached out and put my hand on her shoulder. I kissed her softly and told her to hurry because she only had five minutes.

"Five minutes is plenty of time. Once I phase the pack will hear me no matter where I am," Rasika told me as she took off the top I had loaned her. The sight of her body made the moisture pool between my legs. She turned to me and raised her eyebrow. That was it; she had smelled it. She decided to torture me as she slowly pulled the skirt down her thighs. I was drooling by the time it hit the floor. She strutted over to the window and winked at me before she jumped out. Panic gripped me as I launched myself to the window to make sure she was okay. I watched her phase in midair before she landed on her feet at the bottom. I sighed with relief. She let out a wolfy laugh as I threatened her life if she did that to me again.

Hours later I had finished all the tests Carlisle wanted to run, and we'd had a rather heated discussion on whether or not vampires and hybrids were capable of having souls. Turns out it was his favorite debate to have with Edward, and me and Eddie boy were on the same side. I still maintained that I was a monster. Between my birth and being the Volturi's main executioner there was no hope for me. I never really felt like I was anything more than a monster. We had pretty much agreed to disagree on that point. I was able to learn some interesting things about my DNA through Carlisle though. It turns out I was colder than the average hybrid and my eyes changed color because I gained 51 percent of my DNA from my father and only 49 percent from my mother. In essence I was an anomaly- more vampire than human, which explained my stronger thirst than my sisters', but I was still a perfectly healthy hybrid. And score on the not venomous thing so now I wouldn't accidentally kill my werewolf.

**Leah's POV**

After the pack meeting, I began to patrol, looking for any signs of the ancient leech or Nema's evil spawn of a brother. I couldn't believe that I was stuck on Alpha duties indefinitely. It wasn't like I knew beforehand that this would happen, it was just sprung on me like a bad case of food poisoning. I thought back to the fight and the moment I knew that I would be acting Alpha.

_I saw Bella pulling something out of her jacket as soon as Zafrina had blinded the Volturi. I heard Edward telling Nessie to run, that she had to go, and though she argued, she soon gave in. Jake and I had had the conversation then about the status of his pack._

_Jake, what the hell is going on? _

_Bella and Edward want Nessie far away from here and I need to be there to protect her. Leah, you understand that I'm not abandoning you guys, right? I have no choice but to go. If there was any other way, I would be there fighting._

_I understand. If it were Jaime I'd be doing the same thing without hesitation._

_I need you to take over as Alpha while I'm away. Can you do that?_

_Of course, what am I? Incapable of being a leader?_

_Thanks, Leah, I owe you._

_At this point the fighting had begun and Jake had gone to the back of my mind as I led the pack in the war against the Volturi. The fight was anything but cut and dry. There was way more going on here than in a normal fight. So many mental battles were being played out here. The battle went on for a while and I picked up on something that seemed out of place in my head. There was another person now present in my mind, a female. Rasika, a member of Sam's pack and also his half sister, had broken free of Sam's pack and joined Jake's. I could see in her mind her reasoning behind this. These were reasons that I wasn't too pleased with at all. She had imprinted on a member of the Volturi. This girl was trained to kill, and we were trained to kill her. I could tell from this moment on that being Alpha brought an extra headache that I wasn't even ready for._

When my patrol ended, I headed home, passing Seth on the way in. He, Rasika and Embry were up to patrol next. When I thought of Rasika, my only thoughts were _I hope that the girl she imprinted on isn't dangerous, or else we will have to take measures to eliminate the threat to our people._ I wasn't Jake; I wouldn't have sympathy for her situation. Sympathy was for pussies, and I was anything but. I knew that when dealing with most blood suckers it was kill or be killed.

My first instinct upon entering the house was to call Jaime, but it was four a.m. and he had to go to work soon, so I would wait. I saw the light on the answering machine flashing. I turned the volume down, so that I wouldn't wake Nema, who was sleeping in Seth's room, while I listened to my messages.

"Lee-lee, it's me, Jaime, call me when you get a chance," his voice sounded worried with the first message.

A few hours later there was a second message from him as well. "I'm worried about you. I know you told me not to worry about the fight, but I just want to make sure you're okay. No matter what time you get in, call me."

Jaime had left me ten messages, each more frantic as they progressed, so I called him.

"Leah!" Jaime sounded alert and relieved when he answered the phone. "Is everything okay? I've been worried sick."

"I'm fine, everything is okay. Have you been awake this whole time? Jaime, you only have a couple of hours before you have to go to work!"

"Lee-lee, how could I sleep when I didn't know you were safe?" His voice and words melted my heart. To have someone care for me the way he did made me almost giddy. I was smiling stupidly by this point.

"Baby, don't worry about me. I'm safe and at home. You should get some rest."

"Can I see you tomorrow?" he asked, and I wanted so badly to say yes.

"I'm afraid not. By the time you get off work, I'll be patrolling. Jake made me acting Alpha, so I can't get out of it. I have to be in charge," I said, already regretting the choice of agreeing to be the leader.

"I'm coming over. I'll be there in fifteen minutes," he replied in a rush.

"Jaime, you don't have to-" I started.

"No, I'm coming over. I want to see you with my own eyes to make sure you're okay."

"I'll see you in a bit. Drive safe," I said, knowing that there would be no changing his mind.

Fifteen minutes later, Jaime was at my door. He pulled me into his arms, pressing his lips to mine when I let him in. Jaime showered me in kisses, giving me a twice over to make sure that I wasn't injured in the least bit. When we were lying in bed together, he wrapped his arms around me, at times gently caressing my cheek or kissing me softly. He handled me with such care, as if he thought I would break. Jaime filled my heart with more love than I thought possible, and he cared for me more than I thought anyone ever would.

Months had passed since that night with Jaime, and it was the last night that I got to see him for more than an hour. Being the Alpha when the pack was on high alert for vamps was hectic. Having to have meetings with the Cullens to get updates on their progress with tracking the two cowards that ran, pack meetings, and patrolling had been keeping me away from Jaime in every way possible. I was really getting sick of taking up Jake's slack while he got to be with his imprint 24/7. Most of the pack got to be with their significant others, except Quil. He knew what I was feeling. By the time his patrolling was done, Claire would be asleep. I decided to give Jake a call since he wasn't phasing when I was.

"Leah, what's up?" he asked.

"Don't, Leah, what's up me! Do you know how hard it is being Alpha?"

"Yes, I know how hard it is being the Alpha. I know the responsibility," he said.

"I haven't seen Jaime for more than an hour in months, Jake. It's driving me insane. Everyone else gets to see their imprints on a daily basis. Quil and I aren't that lucky. We don't have live-in mates, and this whole having to be near thing is driving me insane. I'm exhausted all the time and half the time when I'm sleeping, I'm dreaming about the damn blood suckers we have to find! Jake, I want out."

"Leah, I'm sorry that it keeps you away from Jaime, but I had to do this."

"Jake, this is your responsibility, not mine!"

"I understand that it's my responsibility, but I thought we agreed that Nessie was more important."

"We did, but I feel like you're dumping your duties on me. You didn't want to be Alpha in the first place. This is a perfect out for you, going to Jacksonville and never coming back," I accused.

"I'm not dumping my duties on you – listen, I know I didn't want them at first, but I would never do that to anyone." Jake sounded genuine when he said this.

"Jake, why can't you come home? We can all keep Nessie safe! Sharing the duties is better than me shouldering it all on my own. I'm burnt out."

"You know that I can't come back right now. I really am sorry," he said before ending the conversation.

Days had passed and I tried to work mine and Quil's patrols to where we could see our imprints more. It worked for Quil, but nothing would help me. I was the boss; I had to be there to handle everything, it seemed, because no one else wanted to take on the responsibility of Alpha. I had begun to feel that my call to Jake was in vain because nothing would be solved if he couldn't come back. That's when I realized I had been talking to the wrong person all along, so I went over to the Cullens' house.

As I walked in, I was thinking of what to say, but I didn't have to say anything. Edward beat me to it when he said, "I was thinking the same thing, Leah. Even though we sent her away, she has been having a hard time. We can keep her safe even if we haven't found Nahuel and Aro yet. I think it's time that they come home."

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! We'd love to know what you think!<strong>

**Also, I know WLA readers are wondering when they get to see Jake. Jake comes back next chapter :) And BSean says please don't hate Antonia too much. She's adjusting from bad girl/evil Volturi minion to her own woman.**

**If you have any questions about things that maybe you maybe wondering and we didn't fully explain feel free to ask. We can't wait to hear your thoughts :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**For those of you who have been wondering and waiting, JACOB RETURNS IN THIS CHAPTER! Though, I warn you...he's a bit different this time around. We hope you enjoy it :)**

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><p><strong>Jacob POV<strong>

It had been weeks since that call from Leah had set my departure from Jacksonville, and Renesmee, in motion. In a way, I blamed her for the reason that Renesmee and I were no longer together. If she hadn't called me bitching about taking responsibility while I was handling an equal, if not more important, responsibility of protecting and being there for Renesmee, I would still be with her right now. I wouldn't be sleeping on the couch in the garage, just hoping that Renesmee's faint scent wouldn't disappear, but, in truth, it had and all I was left with were memories. Because of Leah, I was living a nightmare and for a while slowly wasting away.

I hadn't eaten in…I didn't even know what today was, so I couldn't tell when the last time I ate was. I knew my eating habits had been taking a toll on my health. Though I couldn't get sick, I could lose weight, and I had significantly. My diet mostly consisted of more than a couple bottles of Jack, and that was always followed by a rigorous round of sex with some girl I picked up at a bar. All I did now, other than my Alpha duties, was drink and have sex. Drinking numbed the pain for a while, and sex temporarily erased her. I didn't really talk much to anyone unless they spoke to me - there was nothing to discuss. Pity wasn't something I enjoyed getting from others, and I avoided my dad because I knew he disapproved of my new lifestyle. Love was for idiots. The people who believed that someone would actually devote themselves to the same person for eternity were dumb because in the end that just didn't happen…unless you were a Cullen – the full vampires, not…

I couldn't bring myself to insult her. She, after all, was the love of my life until that fateful day when she turned me away. She didn't want me anymore and nothing I could have said that day would have ever changed her mind. As the days passed, I often mulled over the last time I saw Renesmee, only coming to the conclusion that I wasn't what she wanted. After all, there were plenty of _normal _guys at the high school we went to in Jacksonville that would love to be with her. Maybe Dylan, her new found _best friend_, no matter how much love he claimed to have for Amya (the girl he had cheated on and treated like shit), was who she'd wind up with. That would suit her well, a human that she could crush or drain if the bloodlust got too strong. Some part of me loved her still, but the other part of me hated her and wanted to just forget her for what she had made me become. The path to self destruction was a short walk for me because I was already on it.

"Jake," my dad called me from the porch.

I grudgingly walked toward the house. I stood there not saying anything as I met his concerned eyes, coming to see what he wanted.

"My God, you look like Hell, Jake!" he commented as he turned and wheeled himself back inside. I leaned in the door frame, not coming into the house. "I've got dinner fixed up if you want any."

"No, I'm going out tonight. I'll pick something up," I told him, emotion empty from my voice.

He rolled closer to me, taking my hand in his. "Jake, I know you're going through a hard time. I know how it feels to lose someone. Talk to me. I've gone through it. When your mother –"

"She didn't die, Dad, she just didn't want me!" I yelled, snatching my hand from his. "Just leave me the Hell alone, okay! I don't want to talk about it."

I could feel my entire body shaking from the anger that I kept bottled up. Lashing out at my dad wasn't high up on my list, but these days I just didn't give a shit anymore. I managed to control myself enough not to phase in front of him, and he knew to back off when I got this way. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I mauled my dad in a fit of rage. Instead, I just walked away from him, making my way back to the garage.

To my dismay and disgust, I was greeted by Leah, sitting on the couch. She was wearing a nice red dress and heels. Leah must have _thought_ that she was going out with Jaime tonight.

"What do you want?" I asked harshly in greeting.

"Hey yourself, asshole."

"I don't have time for games, Leah. What do you want? I'm about to go."

"Go where? Drink yourself to death and have a one-nighter with another slut?" she countered.

"That's none of your damn business. You got what you wanted…I'm back."

"Jake, this isn't what I wanted," she almost started to plead.

"Leah, no matter what you say or how you spin the story, you wanted me back here for selfish reasons. You got what you wanted and you're happy, right? It doesn't matter if I'm happy or not, right?" I paused to see what lie she would spin now.

"I didn't mean for things to end up this way."

"Congratulations on being a selfish, uncaring bitch. Get out! And you can take off that dress and those heels. I want you patrolling with Quil and Embry tonight."

Leah left without another word, and I didn't feel one ounce of remorse for what I had said to her. She had pushed Renesmee over the edge and had truly forced her hand in this. It was her fault that I was like this, and she had only made the call so she could get laid. I brushed it off as pay back and began getting ready for another night out.

After having a pitcher of Jack Daniel's to make me a bit tipsy, I picked up a blond at the bar. I was sober by the time we left the club, due to my high metabolism…she, on the other hand, wasn't. I drove us back to my place, and after getting out of the car she couldn't keep her hands off of me. She was leading me to the couch, where she thought our "rendezvous" would occur, but that couch was sacred. I never did anything but sleep on that couch. The fact that Leah was even sitting on that couch had even pissed me off. I didn't want her smell overshadowing Renesmee's.

I led…Kelly - I think that was her name - to my bedroom. I noticed from the start that she had this loud, nasally, sex moan, and it annoyed the hell out of me. It didn't thwart me in the least. In fact, it made me like her more because this could be my punishment for everything I was doing. I knew that Billy was in the next room, but at that moment I wasn't considering his feelings. Thinking was required in order to be considerate. I didn't want to think and this was my way out of the pain.

An hour later, we dressed, and I drove Kelly home. There would be no cuddling, no kisses, and no talking. That signified attachment, and I had no attachment to her what so ever - emotional or otherwise. I left her with a promise of a call – and I probably would call her because she was my punishment – and I drove off. When I arrived back at home, I was greeted by a very angry Billy Black sitting on the porch waiting for me.

"Jacob, I'm sick of this. I'm sick of the disrespect you show me by bringing girl after girl into this house. You talk to me with disregard, and you treat your pack with so much disrespect it's a wonder that they haven't killed you yet. I gave you time, I was understanding and patient, and I tried to help, but all you've done is thrown it in my face and talked down to me. I want you out, Jacob. You have until tomorrow night to be out of the garage, and I don't want to see you step foot in this house again until you've straightened up!" Dad was shaking with anger, so much so that I thought _he_ would be the one phasing. I made a move to go inside and get my clothes and things from my room when he said, "Your clothes are already packed. They're in the garage; I had Paul pack it all up before he went on patrol." Dad said nothing else; he just rolled himself back inside, slamming the door after he was in. I had really fucked up now, and the result was that I was homeless. Sleeping in the Rabbit wouldn't do for long. I'd have to find myself somewhere to live.

**Nema POV**

A couple of weeks had gone by since the Cullens had received the news that Nessie wouldn't be returning home. To add insult to injury her reasoning was because she didn't want to be who she was anymore. They had taken the news pretty hard, and it had added a damper to an already glum mood in the house. Even Alice, who was always a bit chipper, had lost the pep in her step. Losing close friends in the fight had brought everyone down, but when Ness decided not to come back, everyone was feeling so crummy not even Jasper could help. I couldn't blame them. Though I didn't know her for too long, she was like my best friend, and I knew that she and Seth were best friends. He was taking it hard as well.

When Seth found out she wouldn't be returning, and when he relived all the moments with Jacob in wolf form, he grabbed his cell and tried to call her repeatedly to talk some sense into her but she never answered. He even used my phone to try and call a couple of times, still with no results. Seth was sure that she didn't mean what she had said when she asked Jake to leave. He was positive that he knew her better than Jake did in this way and thought that he noticed something in their exchanged that was off to him. Though he'd tried for weeks he still never got an answer.

The Cullens had gotten the same treatment from Ness. She had called them one last time, only to say that she was sorry for not coming back and that she loved us all, but after that she had cut all connections with us, answering no one's calls. Soon Carlisle proposed a change of scenery, since they were all supposed to be ten years older but didn't look it. He knew that people would soon get suspicious of them, so after talking it over with the family they had decided that moving on would be best.

"Nema," Carlisle called my name as I sat on the couch watching TV with Seth. "Would you mind if I have a word with you?"

"Of course, Carlisle," I said as stood, releasing Seth's hand.

We walked to his study, and he sat behind his desk and I in a chair on the opposite side. "As you know, we plan on moving soon." I nodded. "Through much debating, we've agreed that today will be our last day in Forks."

This was so soon! I couldn't believe that they weren't even giving Ness anytime to change her mind. She could still come back; it had only been a month at the most. "So soon?" Was all I could choke out through my shock.

"I'm afraid so. Working at the hospital will prove to be very difficult, seeing as how in a couple of years I would have to pass as forty. We both know that there is no way I could make that work." He chuckled lightly.

It was true, even thinking that Carlisle was in his mid thirties was a stretch. The humans had to be suspicious of how he and Esme continued to look so young when everyone around them was continuously aging. If they happened across any of the Cullen "kids" they would be just as mystified. How on Earth would Edward or any of them pass for being in their late twenties? I knew the move was necessary, but without Ness?

"My reason for bringing you up here is that I wanted to know how you would feel if we gave you this house?" He broached the subject cautiously as if I would be angry about this.

"You…want…to give _me_ this house?" I was in disbelief. They wanted to give the house to me.

"That is assuming that you would want to stay here with Seth. We consider you a member of this family, and instead of letting the house go to waste, we want you to have it."

I was at a loss for words. "You…wow…thank you." He stood, and instead of shaking my hand he hugged me. "I promise to take good care of it."

Carlisle smiled kindly. "The furniture is yours to keep as well. If you would like to completely redecorate, you could store it in the cottage."

"That is very generous of you, all of you. I'm very grateful. I can never thank you enough for your kindness."

The Cullens had been very good to me since they had taken me in. They had provided me with a roof over my head when I had refused to go back with my twisted, evil brother, and, after ignoring my protests, they had set up a bank account for me and given me black cards. This family had made sure I would never need for anything for at least a couple of decades or more, and now they were giving me their house. I could never repay them for everything they had done for me.

Excitedly, I dashed down the stairs to find Seth, and he was bounding up the stairs to meet me. "I know!" he said before I could tell him. "I heard and Edward explained about the move tomorrow." His face turned a bit sad, and I knew that he was thinking of Ness. "Do you mind if I go spend some time with Bella? She's over at Charlie's spending the day with him and Mom."

I smiled at him. I knew he would miss his stepsister as much as he missed Ness now. "Sure, and tell Bella not to leave tomorrow before I've said goodbye to her." Seth gave a nod and planted a goodbye kiss on me that made me feel lightheaded. Somehow his kisses had always had that effect on me.

I walked down stairs to find Edward standing idly as if he had been waiting for me. "Nema, there is one more gift I'd like for you to have."

"Edward, you guys have done enough –"

"Nonsense, you are a part of this family as well," Edward insisted. "Follow me." He began walking out to the garage, and I couldn't help but wonder why we were heading in this direction.

"Since we are moving, and you have a house now, I figured that you needed something to have in your garage as well." He handed me a set of keys, and I looked around for a car that I hadn't seen before.

It wasn't hard to spot the shiny purple Aston Martin DB9 Volante parked next to his own black Aston Martin Vanquish. I was in awe. I felt like I was on Oprah or something. I got a house and a car! Wait not just any car…A FREAKING ASTON MARTIN VOLANTE! To top that off, the car was purple, my favorite color. I stood there not even speaking for a long time. I was too excited and surprised to talk.

Edward raised an eyebrow as he watched me. His smile was filled with humor. "Are you comparing me to Oprah, Nema?"

"Either Oprah or Bob Barker from The Price is Right," I joked lightly. "But really, Edward, thank you for all of this."

"You're welcome," he replied quietly.

"So the move is final, huh?" _Maybe she will come back. Don't give up on her!_

"We've stayed in Forks for far too long now. If she wanted to come back, she would've already. I've seen the scenes running through Seth's head that he got from Jake. She's a completely different person and she wants to live a normal life. If I pushed her she'd pull. I've learned that. Bella and I have come to the conclusion that she has to figure this out on her own," he told me, losing his joking manner from earlier.

"Will you tell her where you're going?"

"Bella will tell Renee, and we will call her and probably end up leaving a message. But she'll know. Our actions may seem like we don't love our daughter, but leaving her be right now is the best thing for her. I've been telling her what to do for a long time, and maybe too late I've realized that I should've let her make some decisions in her life, so this one is hers to make."

I nodded solemnly.

"Enjoy the car, Nema." His smile from earlier crept back.

I smiled too. "You got it, Oprah."

I ran back up the stairs to the third floor, knowing that my sister would be in our room. Our relationship – if you could call it that – was simple. She was indifferent to me and hated me and I was forever the martyr, taking whatever she dished out and waiting for forgiveness. She was there reading a book. I knew that she was bored and just waiting on Rasika to get off duty. Jake had been a slave driver lately. I barely saw Seth at night anymore, and I know she didn't see Rasika much either.

"Antonia, I don't know if you were listening to what was going on, but the Cullens are moving tomorrow and they've given me the house," I started cautiously.

"Are you telling me because you're going to kick me out or something? Have I over stayed my welcome in your space, Nema?" she asked, still not trusting me or seeing the good in me.

"No…no of course not. I just wanted to let you know that when they leave, you can have your pick of the rooms because I want you to stay here with me, and Rasika is welcome as well."

She nodded. "Thanks," she said flatly, going back to her book.

"There's one more thing. Edward gave me a car…and I wanted to know if you wanted to take the first ride in it with me?" I asked hopefully, showing her a picture of the car in my mind.

She jumped to her feet then, throwing the book to the other side of the room with her excitement. "Saying that it's a car is an understatement! He gave you _that!_ Can I drive it? Please, please, please, pretty please with a pack of O negative on top. "

I rolled my eyes at her before I chuckled and answered her pleadings, "I drive out, and you drive back?"

"Deal," she agreed. "This still isn't sisterly bonding. I just want to drive it."

I just smiled and nodded. _It's a start._

**Antonia's POV**

_Race you to the garage, _I thought back to Nema as I ran down to the garage as fast as I could, almost taking out Rose as I entered. I ignored her curses as I leaned up against the side of the car and grinned. It was unusual for me and Nema to get along so well. For the most part I just ignored her. I didn't want to just let go of years of being angry. Her thoughts even pissed me off, because she wasn't calloused or cold hearted at all like I had built her up to be. That actually managed to piss me off more. She didn't deserve my attitude but I gave it to her, hoping that one day she would prove she wasn't the good guy. That day wasn't coming and it hadn't been for weeks.

She hopped into the driver's seat and unlocked the door for me to climb in the passenger's seat. Her new Volante was sexy to say the very least. The interior was black leather with purple accents that matched the exterior of the car. I ran my hands over the dash in front of me enjoying the sensory feel of the different components that made up this beautiful machine. The knobs and dials were all polished and calling out for me to touch them. I drifted back into my memories at Volterra, back to all the times I spent time with Chelsea and Mack pouring over different cars trying to make them perfect. Nema allowed me my time to reflect on the happier memories I had from Volterra. I had never told her anything about how I grew up other than that I was a trained killer and even that was basic. I just wanted her to feel bad and it always worked.

_Nema, I think it's time you understand why I am the way that I am toward you, _I thought to her quietly. She nodded at me solemnly to continue. _I was happy enough in the beginning. I missed you and I didn't understand fully why you had left. I thought you were going hunting. It wasn't very different in the beginning than it had been in Mexico, just a different location. Hunter still took care of most of my primary needs like hunting and sleeping. She continued my lessons and Demetri played with me all the time. Everything was pretty normal for most of my childhood. I got stronger and I gained more control of my powers. Slowly Hunter and her influence were taken out of the equation. She was sent out on more and more missions and Aro began to raise me. I didn't notice when I was younger but I see it for what it was now. As I matured, Aro and I had an understanding. I didn't have to allow him to read my thoughts through touch, and in exchange I never told anyone about how deranged he really was. Everything was just kind of swept under the rug. I joined the guard early because my gift had grown to the point that Aro thought I was ready. I was ready physically, but I'm not sure about emotionally._

_I killed a vampire and her lover - they were mates, but the man was a human. I was angry because she was questioning me. In my rage, everything clicked in my mind. I was absolutely lethal as I started to rip her apart. After we returned to Volterra, Aro wanted a display of the power I had shown. I lied and said I couldn't do it, but he caught me off guard one day and held my hand. He saw the lie I was feeding him and he became angry with me. He refused to be made a fool of. He made me Volterra's unofficial executioner. I have murdered hundreds, Nema, human and vampire alike using my so called gifts. They were curses more than anything. I sunk lower and lower into a hole that I never allowed anyone else to see, Nema. Even Hunter doesn't know how broken I felt by the time we came here. She knew that I wasn't happy, and she even witnessed some of my emotional breaks but even she didn't know how bad it was. I felt undeserving of any kind of love. I received it any way, of course, but still it was for the most part a façade. I didn't let anyone see the hurt, broken Antonia. Then all of a sudden I think I'm fighting for my life and my whole world changed. Every once in awhile I don't feel like I deserve the love Rasika is willing to give me, but I'm a selfish creature and as long as she is willing to give it I will gladly take it. _

_Now that you know how I was raised, I need you to understand that I don't hate you because you ran. I was angry because you weren't tarnished by the Volturi like the rest of us. It was wrong of me to hold that against you, and I'm sorry. The only thing I hold higher in my list of priorities than family is Rasika. That being said forgive me for the horrible way I have treated you. It won't be easy and I may be a bitch at times without thinking, but I am sorry. _I felt the car come to a stop and, for the first time since we had started to drive, I looked up at my older sister to see that she was near tears. She reached over the center console of the car, grabbed my hand and whispered, "I forgive you." It was the only thing that needed to be said.

**Seth POV **

The day had come that the Cullens would move out. It was so hard trying not to think of it while Jake was phased. We all knew about it, but we didn't know how to break the news to him yet. I was so glad that I didn't dwell on the day that I spent with Bella, Charlie and Mom yesterday. It was good to get to hang out with Bells one more time before she left. It truly made me sad to know that I wouldn't have my stepsister around, nor would I have my best friend around either. Ness had left first, now too soon afterward Bella and the rest of the family was leaving too, and to make it worse my other best friend was on a power trip and making us patrol for no reason sometimes. Jake was just being an ass now. I didn't even know who he was anymore. The silver lining in this was at least I still had Nema. No matter who wouldn't be around anymore – or who would be acting like an ass – she would always be by my side.

As I got off patrol, I made my way over to the Cullen house to say my goodbyes. I found them packing things in their respective cars at vampire speed, only to be done a few seconds later. There was one car in the garage that I hadn't seen before. It was beautiful to say the least, and purple of all colors. After I had phased, Nema walked straight into my arms as if she had been doing it for years, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.  
>"Edward bought me a car," she said with a watery smile.<p>

"I should've known since it was purple," I tried to joke.

Nema turned in my arms, so that she could watch them buzz around, checking for anything they might have left behind. Rasika and Antonia joined us as we waited to say goodbye to our friends, our family. That's what the Cullens had become over the years to me.

Carlisle was the first to approach. He smiled kindly at us. "In all my years of moving, I can honestly say this is the first time that I'm saddened that I have to leave. Though we were supposed to be enemies, you were the first to accept us whole heartedly, Seth. We consider you and your brothers a part of our family." He held out a hand and I shook it.

"I never saw you guys as the enemy, or as vampires. You were just a family of people that I admired for your life choices and then you became like family," I told them.

He moved on to Nema. "Don't hesitate to call us, not just if you need something, just to check in on your family." He beamed at her as if she was his own child.

Carlisle moved on to Antonia and Rasika. His profound words to Antonia were to stay strong and she would prosper in vegetarian lifestyle. He told them that he was glad to have met them both and wished them luck in their future together. Esme followed Carlisle, and my heart broke as she hugged me. She was like a second Mom to me in a way. Emmett came next to shake my hand and envelope the girls in bear hugs. But the shocker of them all was Rosalie.

Instead of shaking my hand, she hugged me. "I always liked you," she said, leaving me with my mouth open in shock. I always thought she hated all of us "dogs".

Alice on the other hand didn't surprise me at all when she bounced over to us, giving each of us hugs and promising to visit. Jasper followed suit with handshakes, and also words of wisdom for Antonia. If anyone knew how tough it was to stick to the Cullens' way of life, it was Jasper. Edward and Bella came last and I knew their goodbyes would be the worst for me.

As Bella came toward me, arms out for a hug, I wrapped my arms around her squeezing her tight. "I'm gonna miss you, sis."

"I'm going to miss you, too. You better come visit me in Portland." She smiled.

Being worried for them – though I don't know why I second guessed vampires – I checked out Portland's weather history. 222 days of overcast wasn't bad at all.

"You know I will," I promised.

Before she walked away, she asked, "Will you tell Jake I said goodbye and that I'm sorry for everything? I would tell him myself but I figured he didn't want to see me or any of us right now."

"Of course," I told her.

Edward came last, shaking hands with me. "You've been a good friend, always there when any of us needed you. Don't hesitate to call us."

"That goes for you too, Edward."

As he was walking away, Nema stopped him. "Edward, are you coming back to get your Vanquish?"

He shook his head no. "It's not mine anymore."

"What are you talking about?" Nema asked, confused.

"It's Rasika's now."

We all looked at Rasika whose mouth was open in complete shock, like the rest of us. "What? You're kidding, right?" Her voice went up a few octaves.

"Nope, it's all yours." He tossed her the keys.

I guess she was thanking him repeatedly in her mind because Edward's smile brightened, and he replied, "You're welcome."

I heard Nema say "Oprah strikes again" and to this Edward chuckled.

"I'm not sure about Oprah. He doesn't have her figure. Bob Barker maybe," Toni interjected with a laugh. She and Nema were more alike than either of them gave each other credit for.

Soon after that, the Cullens left in their cars one by one, leaving only two Aston Martins in the garage. We all stood there for a minute quietly. Antonia broke the silence permeating the air. "I know this is sad for you guys, but I just have one question. Who's going to break the news to Jacob?" I looked at them all to see that they were all looking at me.

"Me! No…people always shoot the messenger," I protested.

"Nema, get ready to say goodbye, because he's as good as dead," Rasika said. Toni walked up to me and placed her hand on my shoulder and shook her head sadly before she perked up and announced that Rasika and she were taking Alice's room because it had the biggest closet.

"I mean, two women living together, come on," she said as she grabbed Rasika's hand and bounded into the house. I just shook my head and siked myself up.

I wrapped Nema in my arms. "Where's a silver bullet when you need one?"

**Jake POV**

Sleeping in the Rabbit was painful as hell. I should've known that trying to stretch out in this car would be impossible. I couldn't believe that I had fucked up to the point that Dad had put me out. Billy put up with a lot of crap from me, so if he was fed up, I must be a complete ass. It didn't really matter though, I had no one to impress. That thought kinda hurt. Having no one to impress reminded me of the reason why this was so. No imprint, no Renesmee, no love, no life. I really needed a drink. I could still smell her in the car, but her smell was mixed with Kelly's, Pam's, Regina's, Rena's, Ariel's…the list went on. I really needed a change, a clean slate. She was a part of so much of my life that she was everywhere. I got kicked out of the garage, so I couldn't dwell too much on the past there. In away, getting kicked out was a good thing. I had so many memories of Renesmee in that house. I still have so many memories of her in this car. I remember the night I was going to tell her about imprinting. We drove to La Push in silence and I was a bundle of nerves, scared that she would–_I_ _need a new car, end of story._

I put my seat back in driving position and looked myself over in the mirror. My hair was all over the place, but it didn't matter. The only person I would care enough to fix it for wasn't around anymore. I stared at the glove compartment for a minute, debating on whether or not I should do what I was planning to do. The money the Cullens had given me when Renesmee and I fled to Jacksonville was in there. I would feel bad for spending it, but they never asked for it back. They wouldn't miss it. They didn't even need it. Before I could change my mind, I cranked the car and headed for Seattle.

I went into the car lot with a Volkswagen Rabbit. I came out with a dark blue – _her _favorite color – Jaguar. It was a completely clean slate for me as I slid into the car, marveling in the feel of the leather seats. I sat there, just me and my new car having a moment. _Where have you been all my life_? I had to ask the car of my dreams. I did believe that Edward would be satisfied with my purchase, and I had money to spare. On my way out of the lot, I took one last look at the Rabbit that they would probably send to the junk yard, or keep in the back for a desperate buyer. My memories were still with me, but the evidence that connected it was gone now. I put the pedal to the medal on my way back to La Push, feeling euphoric about the letting go of some of Renesmee, but the fact that this car was blue was a testament to the fact that I could never completely let her go.

When I had made it back to the grocery store parking lot that I parked my car and slept in last night, I was greeted by Seth.

I got out of my car, a grin on my face at the way he was eyeing it. "What? Does everyone know this is where I sleep now?"

"Pretty much." His eyes went to my car once more. "Jeez, Jake, who'd you have to kill to get that?"

"I'm just getting rid of a few memories," I replied.

His tone turned serious. "Getting rid of your car won't erase her."

"Why are you here?" I changed the subject.

"I have news," he let the words drag out slowly and from his tone I could tell that it wasn't good.

My heart started to hammer. "Is something wrong with Nessie?" I asked frantically.

"No, but…the Cullens moved out. They're probably in Portland by now."

My panic from before had subsided, and his words had somehow deflated me. They'd left, which meant that they knew she wasn't coming back. Their leaving had a note of finality. This would be my life now, a life without her. Even if she did leave Jacksonville, she would have no reason to return here now. She would simply go on to Oregon with her family. It was a blow that I didn't know how to take. My body began to shake uncontrollably. What made the pain worse was the fact that Bella was supposed to be my best friend, yet she couldn't even be bothered to say goodbye, none of them did. Right there, without even realizing that I was going to phase, I had.

Pain was all I felt. Pain was all there ever was now. Leah was in my head, and Seth popped in right after. _Jake, you didn't let me finish. I have a message for you from Bella,_ Seth insisted.

_I don't care!_ I growled in my head.

"_Will you tell Jake I said goodbye and that I'm sorry for everything? I would tell him myself but I figured he didn't want to see me or any of us right now."_ He showed me Bella's request from the day they left.

_That's a half-assed goodbye, and a sorry excuse. Bella could've talked to me whenever she wanted and she knew it._ I was full of anger at that moment and I wasn't hearing anything anyone had to say.

_Jake, none of us could talk to you and you know it,_ Seth tried to reason.

My life had taken a left turn, leaving happiness millions of miles away now. I would never see Nessie again, and I now had nowhere to live. I hated what I was about to have to do.

_Leah,_ I called in my mind. She hadn't talked to me since our argument in the garage. _Could I sleep at your – _

_HELL NO! _she yelled in her mind. _Seth's moving out and Jaime is moving in._

_Where's Seth going?_

_The Cullens gave the house to Nema. Me and Ras are moving in with the girls,_ Seth told me.

_Do you think that I could stay with you guys?_

I saw the answer no come to the surface of his mind, but he retracted it and thought, _it's not my house. You'll have to ask Nema._

_Let's go,_ I said, knowing that Nema wouldn't possibly say no.

I phased, getting some clothes out of my trunk since I had shredded the ones I had on. Seth reluctantly phased and hopped into my car with me. When we got to the house, I almost considered leaving because Nessie was everywhere here. Her scent wasn't here, but I could easily picture her sitting on the porch waiting for me like she had so many times before. I sucked it up and put it in my mental file of things to deal with later. I knew a call to Kelly would be in order because, after dealing with these things, I would definitely need an escape from the ache. Seth walked into the house and I walked in behind him. Nema was in the kitchen cooking while Rasika and Antonia, who I only recognized because I had seen her in Rasika's mind, were sprawled on the couch watching TV. They all looked up at me when I entered.

Before I could say anything, Antonia yelled, "You are the bastard keeping Rasika on duty all those damn hours!" She charged at me, but Seth and Rasika were holding her back.

"Oi, Toni, please calm down. Get a hold of yourself," Rasika tried to talk some sense into her while she wrapped her up in her arms and stroked her hair.

"Nema, I came to ask if I could move in here with you guys?" I asked, almost afraid of what she would say. I've been harsh to them and here I was asking for a place to stay.

"NO!" Rasika and Antonia said at the same time.

"Nema, he's been a complete ass to Ras and Seth and everyone else. Think about this," Antonia advised.

Nema's eyes softened toward me, and she answered her, "Jake has been an…well he hasn't been nice, but it's because he's going through something that none of us could fathom."

"Don't make excuses for him, Nema," Rasika jumped in.

"_He_ is standing right here, you know," I said.

"And _he is _a jackass," Antonia sneered sarcastically.

Nema sighed. "Jake, you can stay, but lay off the world hates me stuff, okay?" she asked.

I went over and picked her up, hugging her. "Thanks, Nema! So which room is mine?"

"You have your choice between Edward's room and Emmett and Rosalie's room."

"I'll take Edward's room. I don't want to think about the things that went on in Em and Rose's room."

I thanked Nema again, trying to ignore the scowls that I was getting from the rest of them, and I went and got my bags. It would be an interesting change living here, and sleeping in her father's old room -the room that she stayed in whenever she spent the night here. I didn't know how I was gonna survive this, so I got out my cell and dialed Kelly's number. My two best methods of forgetting would be much needed tonight. A pitcher of Jack and Kelly.

* * *

><p><strong>We hope you enjoyed it! Let us know what you think! And we're only one chapter away from finding out what Nessie's been up to!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3: The walking Sinus Condition**

**Rasika's POV**

"No, Antonia, you have to slice it. You can't just hack at it," Nema said as she corrected Toni on the right way to slice a cucumber. She just scrunched her face up at it and tried to do what Nema had told her to. They seemed to be getting along better since their talk yesterday, and I was happy for them. Toni finished slicing the cucumber and slid it into the bowl before she turned and looked at Nema. I could only guess that they were talking because Nema set a whole bloody salmon on the counter in front of my Toni.

"Okay, Toni, you need to debone it and cut it into fillets. I'll do it with you and show you how," Nema replied. I had to laugh at the face Toni made as she began poking at it with the knife.

_Toni, do you want me to do that?_

_No, I need to learn to do it._

_Why? You hate human food and won't eat it, so I can't see why you are trying to learn to cook it._

_Because I don't eat but you do. _She looked into my eyes and floored me. She was doing something she thought was disgusting because I needed it.

_Well, cheers then. _I just smiled at her and nodded for her to continue to massacre the fish with little pokes from the knife. Nema saw her and took the fish from her before she could do any real damage to it. She quickly sliced off the sections of the fish we would be cooking and handed one of them to Toni.

"Okay, Antonia, this will be easier for us because we are part vampire. You see all of the little bones in the fish?" Nema asked her and she shook her head yes.

"Good, could you pull them out? Be sure to get them all because trust me, _none_ of the wolves pay attention," Nema threw out sarcastically, looking at me.

"What? I have great fucking table manners next to the rest of these sodding wankers," I felt I had defended myself valiantly. Toni was laughing so hard at my thoughts I felt like she just might fall on the floor.

_What's so funny? _I really wanted to know now. Seth came in and sat at the counter with me.

"What's up?" I just shrugged because I didn't know either.

_I just had the mental image of you on this big white horse, decked out in full armor with a lance trying to defend your table manners, _Toni thought at me unable to verbalize anything. She showed me her mental picture, and I started laughing uncontrollably.

"When did I become a knight of the bleedin' table?" She shrugged in response.

I heard Quil walking up the front porch stairs. None of us bothered to do the formal 'he knocks and we let him' in thing. We knew who was approaching, so there was no need.

"Glad I'm not too late to join the party. Which room is mine?" Quil announced as he entered the kitchen, duffle bags in tow.

"I'm sorry, what?" Nema said shell shocked as Quil just looked at her and grinned.

"Oh, come on, like I was going to miss this party. Jake just moved in with his whipped pack and their two angry hybrid imprints. Please, Nema, can I live here with you guys?" He pulled on his best puppy dog face and looked back at Nema.

"Fine, Quil, but the only room left is Rose and Em's room," she told him like it would be a deterrent, and honestly it should have been. There had been more shaggin' in that room than a low class brothel.

"Okay, cool," Quil said as he plopped down on the other side of Seth, and we all resumed talking and laughing at the faces Toni was making. "So what's for dinner?" Quil asked suddenly serious.

"Poached salmon, roasted red potatoes with rosemary and garden salad," Nema replied as she put the salmon in the oven to join the potatoes. She started to clear the dishes as Toni scrubbed her hands to "try to get the fishy smell off". If she had been human she would have scrubbed the skin off her hands by now. Nema leaned up against the counter and stared at her scrubbing like she was Lady Macbeth and laughed. Suddenly, Toni went rigid and stopped scrubbing or breathing for that matter. I jumped off the stool and crossed the kitchen in less than two steps.

_What's wrong? _I started checking every inch of her that didn't have clothes on to try and find a problem.

"Seth, can you take dinner out of the oven in ten minutes? I can smell her too, Antonia," Nema said through clenched teeth. Neither of the girls had been hunting in the last couple of weeks and Toni's eyes had been blue and black for days now with bruises under her eyes that would rival an insomniac. Although Nema seemed angry, she gently reached out and grabbed her by the hand and dragged her out the front door. Seth and I made it to the foyer just in time to see Jake meeting a fuckin' blond bimbo at the door and tugging her toward the sodding stairs. Seth and I looked at each other knowingly before making our way into the living room with Quil.

**Jake's POV**

Being in Edward's room reminded me of her constantly. I knew it would, and maybe in some sick way I chose this room so that I could be reminded of her. Getting rid of all traces of her didn't help, because she was still ever present in my mind. The only time she wasn't at the forefront was when I had managed to drink enough to get me drunk for a couple of hours or when I was having sex with Kelly. I was tired of downing Jack just to give myself an hour or two of solace, so I decided to call Kelly up. She had been overjoyed to come over, seeing as she thought we were in some kind of relationship. I knew better but she didn't have to.

An hour after the call, I could hear her car pulling up in the driveway. I made my way to the door at the same time as she had. I ignored the curious glances I was being shot by the others; I didn't care. As soon as I let her in, I took her hand and pulled her toward the stairs, but she resisted.

"Jakie, I want to meet your friends," she whined, drawing out every word slowly.

Why did she have to talk? Her voice was like nails on a chalkboard, if not more irritating. Her high-pitched squeak and nasally undertone drove me crazy. I rolled my eyes and sighed. I wouldn't be getting any unless she got to meet the guys.

"Okay." I sighed again. We turned and walked into the living room where Rasika, Quil, and Seth were. "Guys, this is Kelly. Kelly, this is Quil, Seth, and Rasika," I said without an ounce of enthusiasm in my voice.

The introductions had already taken long enough for me, so I started walking toward the stairs again with her in tow. As she trotted along behind me, she managed to get in a few words to them. "It was nice meeting you guys."

I chanced a glance backward to see them all nod politely at her, but Seth's judgmental eyes met mine and I knew that he was disappointed in me. I didn't give a shit about his disappointment. He had Nema, and what did I have? Nothing, and no one but Kelly. Just the thought made me sick. I mean Kelly was pretty, I suppose. She had long tanned legs –airbrushed tan, not even natural – that went on for days, a tiny curvaceous frame, and long golden blond hair. Kelly wasn't a perfect blond bombshell by any means. Her smile was lopsided. It was always the right corner of her mouth that upturned a bit more than the left. Her nose was slightly hooked as if had been broken before – this wouldn't be noticeable to many people, but I saw all of her imperfections –. She vaguely reminded me of the girl Renesmee used to hate in Florida. It was one of the reasons I had chosen her. Kelly was the complete opposite of Nessie and that plus the sound of her voice served as my punishment.

_So let the punishment begin, _I thought as I closed the door to my room.

She gave me that infinitesimally lopsided smile and said, "I missed you."

I nodded. I hadn't missed her in the least. Her lips descended on mine, and they were soft but demanding. Kelly's tongue plunged into my mouth, swirling around as if she was searching for the passion of our kiss. She always came up short because in order for me to dive headlong into this with her, I had to be emotionally detached. That was the only way I could forget. I had to leave emotions at the door. My lips broke free of hers, and I trailed kissed down her neck, biting down hard every once in a while on her long, exposed neck. I learned weeks ago how to turn her on. I needed her wet and ready so I could reach my euphoric moment of solace and then she could get out.

I began pulling her shirt over her head as I continued to kiss all of the spots that I knew would turn her on. She wasn't wearing a bra – that made things so much easier. We began making our way toward the bed as she demanded my lips to be on hers once more. I sat on the bed and she straddled me, grinding her hips against me, arching her back and thrusting her breast into my line of sight. We were so disjointed that she had to exaggerate her motions to get me to give her what she wanted. I took her already hardened nub between my teeth and gave it a forceful tug, knowing that she liked it. I felt her body shiver as she ground harder into me, awakening my soldier and causing him to stand at attention. Nasally, high pitched moans erupted from her then at the friction she was causing, plus the nips and rough bites I was giving her brought her pleasure. Her hips moved against me frantically as she begged for me to bite her harder. I complied, seeing that she was going to get hers now, which made me feel slightly better about the fact that later I was just going to take and take and not worry about whether or not she was satisfied as well. Soon, her body was jerking and she was drawling out my name as she came. The sound almost put my soldier at ease. When she was finished, I quickly disposed of her shorts and soaking wet panties, and I shrugged out of my shirt and stepped out of my jeans and boxers in record time. I didn't want her to say something and have it completely end what we had been working up to.

She playfully pushed me down on the bed, and she mounted herself on top of me. I let her take control, closing my eyes, not wanting to see her, only wanting to _feel_ the effects. Kelly was riding me slow, almost passionately, trying to make love to me, but that was not about to happen. That's not what I needed. I grabbed her hips, stopping her slow motions and I began to thrust into her. Kelly mewled and whimpered and moaned over and over as I pounded into her. Her voice was fueling me on, making me thrust harder and faster. I just wished she would shut up. I didn't want to hear the sound anymore. It was a sound that drove me crazy. This sound sent me into frenzy; it caused a rush like no other just to make it stop. I could feel my release building and I pounded into her roughly. She was screaming now, and her screams really were like fingernails on a chalkboard. My hands were gripping her hips tightly and I threw my head back riding the waves of ignorant bliss as I said, "Thank God…" _that she shut up!_ I didn't dare finish the sentence out loud.

When we were done, there was no cuddling, no pillow talk. There was simply cleaning ourselves up and getting dressed again. I walked with her back downstairs, only to be met with the very unhappy faces of my friends. I didn't ask though, I just really wanted to get Kelly to her car. Once we were outside, she leaned in to kiss me and I almost shrank away.

"When are you going to let me sleep over?"she asked. "I really want to spend the night in your arms after making love to you, Jakie." God I hated when she spoke in long sentences. It grated on my nerves. _Who decided that she should know all these words? Didn't they hear what her voice sounded like?_ _There was no sing-song quality to it, it didn't sound like bells, and there was no finesse._ _Where were those qualities? In the hybrid that didn't want you, that's where. _ And there it was, just like that my euphoric-bliss-bubble had burst.

I saw Kelly waving her hands in front of my face. Oh yeah, she had asked me something about sleeping over. "Um…now's not a good time. I just moved in and I'm not sure how they would feel about you sleeping over. Just give it some time."

"How long?" she demanded, needy.

"I don't know yet, Kel," I said, letting all my annoyance out.

"I'm pretty sure my roommate wouldn't mind you coming out to my place and spending the night," she suggested.

"Not tonight." _Not any night._

She pouted but leaned in to kiss me goodnight. "I'll call ya," I told her as she got in the car.

**Quil's POV**

"So, Seth, why was Nema so mad I mean other than Jake calling some random chick over to the house," I asked curiously once we had met Kelly. Seth sighed and looked at Rasika with a _you want to take this _expression.

"Toni is having trouble adjusting to the whole vegetarian thing. She does great if she hunts before she goes around them, but she hasn't been in a couple of weeks, so when Jake just called Kelly over to the house with no warning, Toni didn't have time to prepare at all. She couldn't even sike herself up for it. Nema was mad about it because she knows what Toni is going through and she's trying to help her. Plus, she feels guilty about Toni being raised by the Volturi anyway." Rasika sighed and glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's been about ten minutes. I'm going to go get dinner out of the oven," Rasika explained to me as she stood and made her way to the kitchen. It made a lot of sense, especially if Antonia had just started to adjust to the lifestyle. She would have felt terrible if she had killed Kelly, and Jacob put Nema's little sister in that position? Of course Nema was angry with him.

"Dinner's ready," Rasika called from the kitchen to me and Seth. We ran in to fix our plates because if you're the slowest wolf you don't eat. Rasika apparently knew that rule because her plate was already piled high with enough food to feed four people.

"Damn, Rasika, did you save us any food at all? You're like a great white shark. I think if I rubbed ketchup on my leg, you might take a bite." I laughed as Rasika, Seth and I all sat at the large dining room table.

"Well, Quil, why don't we try rubbing some honey on Embry's balls and see what you do." I couldn't believe she managed to say that with a straight face. I thought Seth might fall out of his chair because he was laughing so hard.

"Touché, my furry friend, touché." I chuckled and flaked off a huge bite of salmon and threw it into my mouth. Just as I was about to swallow I heard this God awful, nasally moan coming from upstairs. All three of us dropped our forks and looked in the direction of the noises.

"What the Hell is that?" Seth asked to no one in particular.

"Who invited Fran Drescher to dinner?" Rasika asked between bites of potatoes.

"Fran Drescher my ass. I would love to hear that obnoxious 'Hello everyone' as opposed to the nails on a chalkboard thing we have going on upstairs right now," I threw out as I attempted my best Fran Fine impersonation from The Nanny. We all turned our heads when we heard the front door open and Antonia and Nema walked in looking pissed. The volume in the house had escalated into screaming that could melt your brain coming from upstairs.

"What is that sound?_" _Antonia asked, sliding into the chair next to Rasika. The three of us just looked at each other before we answered her together.

"Kelly."

"Well, Kelly is definitely going to ruin the mood in the house." Everyone nodded their agreement to Nema's statement.

"Yeah, seriously, how am I supposed to get laid listening to that? It wouldn't matter how far into it I was, if I heard that I'd be bone dry," Antonia announced as Rasika choked on a piece of fish. I was seeing a little irony in that, personally. Antonia quirked her eyebrows at my last thought. I forgot she had that whole telepath thing going on.

As the members of the house who had eaten dinner put our plates in the dishwasher, we finally heard Jake exclaim "thank God". Hell, we were the ones down here on our knees throwing high fives up to the big man for making it end. We all made our way into the living room so that we could corner Jake on his way back into the house. Everyone else looked pissed, but I thought it was kind of funny, to tell the truth. I wasn't going to get laid any time soon anyway so what did I care if he ruined the sexual mood in the house.

**Nema's Pov**

I could hear the God-awful sounds of…_something_ as Antonia and I were on our way back to the house. As we sat down for dinner, I found that it was _Kelly_ – the human that Jacob had plagued upon us. I was so angry that he had brought a human into the house without even consulting with us. He was the one that walked in pitiful, looking like a lost puppy in need of a home. Now he was taking liberties without discussing it with us first.

I thought that I would cool off as soon as I had had dinner, but it didn't help one bit to sit down and have a meal with my sister and friends because there was an endless loop of nasally "oh Jake, yes", and "more, baby, Jake, Jake, please". Her constant screaming was causing a strain on dinner, and I had a feeling it would have a strain on our love lives for as long as he kept her around. Another reason that I was angry was because his display tonight showed complete disrespect for Renesmee. Regardless of what happened, she was still his imprint. No matter how many girls he slept with she would never stop existing.

We waited silently as he walked back into the house, avoiding our eyes and attempting to walk straight upstairs. I took a deep breath. Confrontation wasn't something that I enjoyed doing. "Jake, do you have a minute to talk?"

"Sure, Nema. What's up?" he asked, turning around and coming into the living room where we were all gathered.

He took a seat on the couch beside Quil, Rasika, and Toni. Seth was sitting on the loveseat adjacent to them. I sat in Seth's lap, trying to make this as informal as I could. "I…_we_ want to talk to you about Kelly."

Jake didn't want to hear this. He gave a sigh and made a move to stand. "Sit your ass down," Antonia commanded.

"Hear us out, Jake," Seth said, taking the subtle approach.

"Fine. What about her?" Jake asked with a hard edge to his voice.

"Bringing a human into this house is dangerous, especially since Antonia is new to this vegetarian lifestyle. I'm no expert either. There can be slip ups," I explained to him.

"I'm sorry, Nema. I really didn't think about it. It wasn't a problem with – I forgot."

"It's okay. I know that it wasn't a factor for Ren –"

"Don't! Don't bring her into this! Don't you dare say her name!" he yelled, his voice echoing in the silence around him. He growled in frustration as he scrubbed his hands across his face roughly. My heart went out to him for the pain he was in. I knew that he was hurting, and I understood where his anger what coming from, but I was the only one.

I felt Seth move to stand so I got to my feet. He stood in front of me, his fists clenched, and a look in his eyes that I had never seen before. "Never talk to her like that again. You may be my Alpha, but I won't put up with your disrespect towards her. She's not a part of your pack, you _don't_ raise your voice at her. I don't care what she says to you." Seth's tone was lethal, and I knew protecting me was only part of the reason he was angry.

"Nema's the only person in this room right now that is sympathizing and understanding of your little outburst. Biting the hand that feeds you is a big mistake. If it were me, I would have kicked your ass out the minute you brought that human, with power to send us all into unplanned celibacy, into this house," Antonia jumped in.

"Damn it, I'm sorry. How many times do I have to say it?" Jake asked. He turned to me, his voice sincere. "Nema, I'm sorry that I raised my voice at you. The last thing I'd want to do is make you think that I'm ungrateful for all you've done for me." He turned to Seth then, knowing there was more to his anger. "But just because Kelly is not who you want me to be with, doesn't mean you have the right to dictate who I have sex with."

"Jake, I know that we can't tell you who to involve yourself with, and we certainly can't tell you not to have sex in this house – no matter how irritating her voice is. We all enjoy our…endeavors so I wouldn't think of being unfair and asking you not to –"

"I can!" Antonia interrupted. "Nema, do you know how sexually repressed we're going to be if this chick stays around? Hell, I might eat her just so I can get some!"

Quil snorted. _Of course he would find this funny. He wasn't having sex so why should he care?_

It was as if Rasika had picked up my train of thought because she slapped Quil on the back of the head. "You would see the humor in this, wouldn't you? You've probably given yourself blisters as long as you've had to go it solo."

I steered us back on topic. "Antonia, that's a very unreasonable request…no matter what the consequences may be. But we can ask that we at least have some type of notice as to when she's coming over."

Jake nodded, agreeing to let us know when Kelly would be coming over from now on. "I really am sorry, Nema. I didn't mean to upset you. The thing with Kelly isn't that serious, so you guys probably won't see her often."

I was so glad that the meeting had ended. All the emotions surging through the room had eased and things were back to normal. We all were hanging out in the living while Jacob, who I could swear was slowly developing into a sadomasochist, returned to his room – no doubt torturing himself with thoughts of Ness.

**2 weeks later**

**Antonia's Pov**

I was so fucking horny. I hadn't had decent sex since Jake moved into the house. I looked over at Rasika's sleeping form next to me and sighed. I had to fight the urge to wake her up and jump her bones, so I got up and started pacing around the room to think. Jake was still being an absolute slave driver so on the rare occasion that Ras wasn't exhausted when she got off of patrol _Kelly _was usually at the house making us all miserable. We had the house discussion that first night she was here, but Jake had truly just rolled everything off of his shoulders and not listened.

The more I thought of the reason we hadn't gotten to have sex tonight the madder I got. Right as things between Ras and me were getting really hot and heavy Kelly showed up unannounced. We were thinking maybe just maybe if we had a quickie we could both get off before the noises started, but as per usual not a chance. As soon as Rasika had managed to strap on our newest _accessory, _the loud nasally moan rolled in. I actually punched a hole in my wall for that one.

The sexual frustration was becoming a bit much for everyone, except Quil. Poor guy, his imprint was never going to be old enough to have sex with. The rest of us on the other hand were sick and tired of taking care of business on our own. The only person in the house not masturbating at this point was Jake, and all because that walking sinus condition was coming over every night to kanoodle his noodle. If he interrupted me again I was gonna rip his noodle off his body and feed it to a mountain lion or something else that would eat it just so he would never get it back.

I had been staring out the window for awhile when I heard a moan from the bed. I looked over at Rasika asleep in our bed and groaned as she shifted and I caught a whiff of her arousal. _Oh great another wet dream that I can't do anything about. _Jake had started allowing Kelly to spend the night because just getting off once at night wasn't enough for him anymore. Usually she was tapped by the time he kicked her out in the morning, but it was still relatively early so of course they were warming up for another round. I continued to stare out the window at the rain that was lightly falling outside and listening to Kelly's nasally sex moan come into full swing. I came to a decision. We had to bring Ness back. I would drag her back by her over privileged hair if I had to.

Once the sun had been up for a couple of hours, I slowly climbed out of bed and put on some black gym shorts and a white tank top. I looked down at Rasika still asleep in our bed and smiled before I made my way downstairs. I was always the first one down because most of the time I hadn't slept. I decided that I was comfortable enough in the kitchen to try to make breakfast on my own. Rasika's favorite, eggs Benedict, came to mind as I started checking the cabinets and pulling out ingredients. I heard Rasika moving around in our room before coming down stairs to the smells of bacon and hollandaise sauce.

_What's for breakfast? _she thought happily.

_Good morning to you, too,_ I responded. She kissed me lightly on the lips before taking her seat in front of me.

"It smells great. I don't remember Nema teaching you how to make eggs Benedict." Rasika smiled at me lazily with her head down on the counter.

"She didn't, I looked it up. I wanted to try something on my own," I told her truthfully. I grinned from ear to ear as my hollandaise formed and didn't become scrambled eggs. I heard Seth and Nema making their way down the stairs, and I started poaching more eggs for Seth.

"What's for breakfast?" Seth smiled at me.

"Seth, could you stop thinking with your stomach? That was rude. Good morning, Antonia." Nema walked around the counter and surveyed the disaster I had left behind me as I grinned sheepishly. She had it cleaned in all of ten minutes.

_Hey, guys, I was thinking we need to bring Ness back. I can't stand one more night of our walking sinus condition. _I knew keeping the conversation internal was the best way to go. If Jake heard us he would probably use his alpha voice to stop Rasika from leaving with me. I allowed the group to hear what I had just thought.

_I agree but how are we going to get her back? She doesn't know us. I don't think she would just take off with two strangers, _Rasika thought for the group as she continued to eat her second helping of breakfast.

_I can come with you to get her. I'm her best friend. Hopefully she'll come back if I'm there with you_, Seth offered. _When would we leave? _Seth asked.

_We can fly there tomorrow and then drive her car back. It should only take two or three days driving nonstop,_ I replied to Seth's unspoken question.

_One more potential problem… what are we going to tell Jake to explain where you guys are?_ Nema was always the voice of reason, because none of us had thought about what to tell Jake.

_Tell him I got a call and have last minute business to handle in Italy with my bank accounts, _I thought as I refilled Rasika and Seth's glasses with orange juice.

"Last problem… who has to tell Jake that me and Rasika are going with you? I had to tell him the Cullens moved out so it's not me," Seth muttered under his breath. Everyone in the room looked at me.

"Why do I have to tell him? Rasika you tell him," I hissed barely a whisper.

"No way! He can hurt me, but he won't lay a finger on you. Besides, it is your turn." Rasika gulped down the last of her juice and shoveled the last remaining bites of egg into her mouth. "I'm going to go look up tickets," she announced with her mouth still full.

"You big scaredy wolf," I called after her as she ran up to our room to book the tickets to Florida.

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><p><strong>NESS IS COMING BACK NEXT CHAPTER! Jake's having "relations" with a sinus condition, and the house collectively is sick of him...We'd love to know what you think of this turn of events :) How do you think she will react to this news? And finally you'll get to find out exactly what happened during the phone call in What Lies Ahead!<strong>

**As always we thank you for reading**.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: We own nothing Twilighted related...though DreaC does wish she owned one of the wolves for her own personal enjoyment ;) BSean on the other hand likes them more on the undead side. Call me, Alice!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Roadtripping for a cure<strong>

**Seth's POV**

We had made the decision to go and get Ness yesterday, and I was on edge about it now that the day had finally come. Somehow we managed to keep this from Jacob and he believed Antonia's story about needing to handle some finances and needing to take Ras and me along. I had not left Nema's side for more than a couple of hours since I had imprinted on her. We weren't sure how long it would take to convince Ness to come back to Forks. I knew how stubborn she could be, and I bet this was one of the reasons she already hadn't come back.

I didn't get to give Nema a proper goodbye last night because the answer to abstinence and celibacy was upstairs on her endless loop of begging and praising Jacob again. The sexual tension that I was experiencing was almost indescribable. Everything Nema did had suddenly become sexy. When she bit her lip in concentration, I would swear she was teasing me. I didn't even know why I got myself worked up with the fantasies about her if all I would be left with was a release by my own means.

She was sitting up in bed, watching me with sad eyes as I got dressed to leave. I couldn't take her sad expression for too long, so before even putting on my shirt I walked over to her, resting my palm on her cheek and she leaned into it. "Don't be sad, my lovely love. I'll be back before you know it."

A faint smile stretched across her soft, full lips. "Have you been hanging out with Edward?" She laughed.

I pressed my lips to hers in a slow, sensual kiss. "You don't want me to call you my lovely love?" I began trailing kisses from her jaw line down her neck, reveling in the feel of silky skin under my touch.

"You can call me whatever you'd like," she said breathily.

I kissed and nipped my way back up to her ear. "What if I called you my sex kitten?" My breath caressed her ear and she shivered. I could smell her arousal.

Nema brought my lips back to hers, and she began pulling me back into bed. Her hands delicately trailed down my chest and abs, igniting a fiery desire in me that only she could satiate. She had such an innocent smile on her face as she began unbuttoning my jeans. A growl escaped me as her hand wrapped around me, stroking me. Her smile was so naughty yet angelic at the same time. My forehead was resting against hers, and I was giving her chaste kisses to tease her. She surprised me when she abruptly stopped stroking me and pulled her shirt over her head throwing it to the floor. Nema pulled me to her with more force than she had ever used. She was completely naked, parting her legs invitingly. I thrust into her, hearing a satisfied moan come from her. She wound her fingers into my hair, catching my earlobe in between her teeth and biting down. I let out a hungry, guttural growl. Nema had never bitten me before, and I realized at that moment that I liked it.

When she let go, she whispered, "I've fantasized about finally having you inside of me. Believe me when I say I've visualized us on every surface of this house, even in the car. You want to know my favorite place?"

Nema had bitten me and now she was talking dirty. I was in heaven and more turned on that I had ever been. I just wanted to bury myself deep inside of her and never come up for air. "Where?" my voice rasped as I went a little faster.

"The kitchen counter. We weren't making love…we were…fucking." She stumbled over the word, almost unsure if she should have said it. "You were going so hard, so rough, I was screaming loud enough to rival Rasika."

As she told me her fantasy, I came undone, plowing into her faster and harder. I could tell that she was close and so was I. Nema threw her head back, her mouth forming a tiny o, but before any sound could come out, I heard, "Oh, Jaaaakkkkee" and I knew that the loop was just beginning.

Nema and I both froze, her lips pressed together in a tight line. "Damn it!" I cursed, bringing my fist down hard on the bed. She pushed against my chest, the sound instantly taking her out of the mood. We heard Antonia curse, and we knew she and Ras had the same idea that we had had. I was putting my pants on and Nema her shirt, when we heard Antonia's footsteps crossing the hall and going up the stairs.

"Don't you dare come back without Ness! If I don't come at some point in time, I'm going to go crazy," Nema told me with nothing but frustration coming over her features. "Let's go see what Antonia is doing. I'd hate for her to kill Kelly."

We walked out of the room just in time to see Antonia reaching the third floor…with no clothes on.

**Antonia's Pov**

I finished packing a carryon bag with a couple changes of clothes for me and Ras and set it by the bathroom door. I couldn't wait to finally go bring Renesmee back from Florida. Jake was angry when I told him the story about going to Italy, but we really left him with no choice. I had pretty much told him Rasika and Seth were coming and it was final. He had shut up and let it happen, but he planned to all but work them to death when they got back as pay back. He thought it was going to be a nasty surprise when they returned from _vacation, _but I heard every word of it. I had already warned them both. Toni – 2 Black – 0.

Crawling into bed, I curled myself around Rasika, wanting her warmth. I leaned into her and started running my fingertips up and down her ribcage. My leg was draped in between hers in my standard possessive display. The sound of her content sigh and feel the moisture spreading at the apex of her thighs as my fingers began a familiar journey over the rest of her body. I looked up at her and placed light feather kisses on her throat. She flipped me on my back with surprising agility and hovered over me.

_Je t'aime. Vous possédez mon cœur, mon corps, et mon esprit, _Rasika thought to me as she leaned her forehead against my own.

"Ciela eres mi Ciela," I whispered to Rasika as I kissed her chastely on the lips just as she sank her first two fingers into me, eliciting a satisfied moan. She really was Heaven to me.

"You feel amazing. You're so cool and wet. I can't wait to lick up every drop._" _I was so close to coming as Rasika whispered into my ear. I ran my hand down her body to the dripping apex of her thighs. I started running my fingers in fast circles around her clit. Her loud moans were quickly becoming screams as we neared the climax we had both been craving for weeks. I could feel the pressure building in my stomach indicating that I was close. "Oh Jaaakkkkee!" sounded from the third floor breaking my concentration and my mood. We just stopped and stared at each other. Rasika was clearly pissed and losing her desire to have any physical contact while that train wreck was taking place upstairs.

"Fuck! Fuckety, fuckety, fuck, fuck! This is it!" I jumped up from the bed and crossed the room in less than a second. I hadn't even bothered to throw on a pair of shorts. I heard Nema and Seth's door open just as I reached the third floor stairs. I was on a rampage. How dare Jake continue to bring that nasally bitch in this house. I snatched his door open and just barely managed to maintain my human façade.

"Antonia! What the Hell are you doing in here, and why are you naked?" Jake shouted at me clearly upset that I had interrupted his little game of let's hide my dick inside the random whore. I heard Rasika let loose a growl and wrap the top sheet around herself before she made it to the hall way.

_Don't worry about it. Stay there, _I told her not deterred by Jake's outburst in the least.

"You are my problem, Jacob Black. You and this slut you keep bringing in the house." Kelly tried to defend herself, but I shot her a glare that easily silenced her. "I have not had sex since you moved in! I am so sick of masturbating when I have someone who is ready, willing and waiting in my bed to fuck me! Well, if anybody is getting off today it's going to be me!" I yelled back turning to head out the door. I grabbed the door and pulled the screws out of the hinges. "I'm taking this with me!" I shouldered his door and started descending the stairs. Toni -3 Black – still 0. "Rasika Moreau, you had better be naked and in bed when I hit the bottom of these stairs," I shouted as a warning.

"Yes m'am!" I heard as a response along with applause from Quil, Seth and Nema. I tossed Jake's door up against my wall and jumped in bed. There was no slow and sensual this time around. We had already tried that once and it backfired for us. I snatched Rasika by the back of the knee and slid her down to me. I wasted no time with gentle kisses. We could do that later. I immediately assaulted her - by some miracle - still wet pussy, licking and thrusting unapologetically. She was quickly gaining in volume, which everyone else in the house knew she tended to do, but Kelly was being made very uncomfortable by the screams and moans coming from mi loba feroz. I felt her shudder and come screaming French profanity at the top of her lungs. I licked up her abdomen until I got to her collar bone and she met my lips with hers. She looked at me with a mischievous smile and rolled away from me to her side of the bed. I could see her digging in the drawers that pulled out of the platform, but since she was thinking about the orgasm she just had I couldn't tell what she was grabbing at.

"Do you know the best part of this bed?" she asked me, concentrating on every word as she said it. Damn Cullens teaching her how to get around me.

"No, baby, what is it?" I answered still agitated that I couldn't see what she was doing and that she wasn't touching me.

"Handy toy chests," she stated as she held up our newest play thing that we hadn't been able to try yet. She wriggled her eyebrows and caused me to laugh. I could definitely see her point though. When we had moved in, I had put Alice and Jaspers bed in the cottage for storage; it wasn't really my style. I had it replaced with a black platform bed that sat on the floor. The platform created a two foot step to the mattress. Drawers lined the sides of the platform on either side, and we nicknamed it the toy chest even though only one drawer was actually used for _storage. _

"Well, what are you waiting for? Put it on." She groaned and we both laughed as she slid her end of the strap on in and secured the harness. It definitely wasn't made for fashion, but who cared as long as it worked.

"What are you laughing so hard at?" she whispered as she crawled on top of me.

_Nothing, _I thought as she lined up with my entrance.

_Really, nothing at all? _she thought as she slowly slid it inside of me. We both gasped at the sensation it brought.

"We really need to get up and take showers," Rasika muttered to me as she kissed the top of my head. We were still pretty much spent.

"Do we have to get out of bed?" It was a dumb question, but I was really content.

"You know the answer to that. Besides, if we don't we'll miss our flight. Come on…up." Rasika pushed me to my feet following behind.

_Hey, Ras. _

_Yes, what is it? _sheasked, preparing for me to trick her back into bed.

_We are absolutely using that again when we get back. _I sent the images into her head. I giggled as she moaned and I could smell her become aroused again. _Come on, shower. You wash my back and I'll wash yours. _I leaned into her suggestively and ran my nose over her collar bone. I narrowly dodged her lunge as I made my way to the bathroom locking her out. We would probably get dressed faster if we didn't shower with each other.

I laughed at her leaning against the door. I could clearly hear her frustrated thoughts as she waited for me to get out of the shower. I turned the water on and stepped under the warm stream. I showered quickly because I realized just how late it actually was once I was forced out of bed. Rasika was assaulting me with all of the frankly interesting things she was going to do to me as pay back for my little stunt as I wrapped a towel around myself. I play snarled at her and nipped her lips before I walked into the giant walk in closet. I swear it seemed bigger than our bedroom. I quickly donned a denim miniskirt and basic blue halter top and matching blue chucks. I was so glad I was a hybrid. Thanks to my father's genes, I didn't have to bother really doing anything with my hair except running a comb through it. I met Nema leaving her and Seth's room with a huge smile plastered across her face.

"You got laid this morning too, huh." It wasn't a question - I knew she had. I laughed as we made our way downstairs to the kitchen. We had the same idea. Rasika and Seth were going to be starving.

"I know what you did with Jake's door may have been an invasion of privacy, but thank you for invading it," Nema said as she set a frying pan on the stove, and I handed her the eggs I had just scrambled.

"You are welcome, Nema. I know you and Seth were chomping at the bit as much as we were." I smiled at her as I started to throw toast in the toaster.

"About ready to go, Toni?" Seth asked as he strolled into the kitchen in front of Rasika and Quil carrying both carryon bags. They both looked great. I had gotten so used to seeing the wolves in nothing but the bare essentials that the sight of them in clothes was strange. Even Rasika hardly wore anything other than cutoffs and bikini tops or tanks, but she looked fantastic in the yellow fitted t-shirt and long Bermuda shorts that she had paired with black pumas.

Seth, Rasika and Quil all sat down at the breakfast bar to eat quickly before we left to go to the airport. Nema and Quil both had to take us because the Aston Martin's back seats were not designed for people the wolves' height. I wasn't looking forward to being scrunched up in the back for the drive to Seattle either for that matter. As the wolves finished scarfing down breakfast, Nema and I did a last minute check to make sure we had everything we would need to get on the plane before she announced that it was time to go.

~0~0~0~

I exaggerated a little bit. The drive to Seattle wasn't that bad and Rasika and Quil riding in the same car was hilarious. Every two seconds they would start ragging on each other. We had made it quickly to security because we had no baggage to check. The guards were a little put off by the three of us. Seth and Rasika's size intimidated them and something about me set off their self preservation instincts. We had already boarded and were settled in first class. The smell of humans was strong even before they closed the doors, but I had gorged myself hunting the night before so I felt pretty prepared. I took the window seat with Ras on my other side as an extra precaution. She laced her fingers through mine as we began takeoff.

Forty minutes into the flight I had to take my first breath. This was the make it or break it moment as I inhaled the scent of 300 humans trapped on board with me. I felt the fire course through my throat. I squeezed Rasika's hand as tight as I could without breaking her fingers. She lifted the center armrest and pulled me into her side nuzzling my hair and whispering calming words until I settled down. I looked into her eyes staring down at me and I realized I needed her more than blood. I had just found the perfect distraction for both of us.

_Meet me in the bathroom in five minutes. We are about to join the mile high club, _I thought to her seductively as I stood up and went to the bathroom. I locked myself inside and smiled when exactly five minutes later I heard Ras's thoughts at the door as I unlocked it and let her in. This was about to be the best flight ever.

**Renesmee's POV**

I sat at lunch, crumbling up my food with my fingers and shoveling it around so that it would look as if I had eaten some of it. Today was one of those days when I felt out of sorts in this place. It was always too hot, too humid, too bright, and too…not Forks for me. It had begun to get overwhelming again, as it had so many times before. I hadn't eaten in…I didn't even know what day it was so I couldn't remember when the last time I had eaten was either. I was punishing myself and pushing myself to the limit. It would serve me right if I just snapped right now, killing an innocent human and living with my actions for the rest of my life. I hadn't gone this long without eating before, but I noticed that my eyes tended to change colors when I was starving myself. My eyes were black now, and I felt like I was dying inside as I watched my two best friends, Amya and Dylan, give each other loving touches or caresses when they thought I wasn't looking. That could have been me and Jake if I hadn't been stupid. It would seem that everyone around me was paired off as if there was some mating ritual happening and I didn't get the memo. Everywhere I turned, hands were intertwined, kisses were being shared, and silent words of affection were being uttered. _Did no one in this fucking lunchroom just eat anymore?_

Just sitting there was not an option, not when my breathing was accelerating and I felt like I was about to hyperventilate – if that were even possible. I stood so abruptly that I almost knocked the table over. Mya and Dylan stopped speaking, and they looked at me with knowing eyes. Not a word was exchanged as I got up and ran from the room and the school. I ran at vampire speed through the woods and abandoned roads. The only thoughts that I had had were of my one mistake. Had I listened to my instincts I would have never called Jake a few weeks after he'd left. The question I had asked myself about him still loving me was to thwart me, but I was stupid and I got hurt. I had dialed his number on my birthday after hearing his message. Though he hadn't left me with any indication that he had any feelings what so ever for me, just his voice and the love I felt for him had fueled me on to call him. I had dialed his number, anticipation ever present with every ring of the phone. There was an answer but it wasn't what I had thought it would be.

_There was a click as if someone had answered, but before they could say anything I said, "Jake!"_

"_Jake's in the shower. Can I give him a message?" A high pitched, feminine voice asked._

_He moved on. "I…I'm sorry. I have the wrong number or something," I lied, hanging up the phone quickly._

This friendly informant had told me all I needed to know and had stopped my idiocy in thinking that Jacob still loved me and that if I came back he would welcome me with open arms. He had already opened his arms to someone else.

My feet pounded furiously against the paved road as I ran into civilization. I slowed to a human pace as tears ran down my cheeks and I ran home to Renee's. When I got there, I walked straight past her on my way to my room. She didn't say anything because we had been through this so many times before. In my room, I had begun slinging clothes into my suitcases, finally fed up with the pain and wanting to go home and face it head on. There was no dull ache as time went on, if anything it grew in magnitude and never stopped. The feeling was completely maddening, and I couldn't take it anymore.

As I finished throwing clothes into the bags, I thought, _Going home would…would solve nothing. The ache will still be there. It will just hurt even worst to see him living his life happily with someone else._ I sat on my bed, feeling lost, lonely and confused with my head in my hands sobbing silently. I felt Renee's presence in the doorway. I knew the look she was giving me. I had seen it every time I'd done this.

Renee came and sat on the bed beside me, wrapping me in her arms as I cried. "I just want to go home," I admitted feeling small and exposed somehow.

"I know, honey, I know." She rocked us back and forth. "No one's home, though. They've gone to Portland," she explained calmly as if I hadn't heard it before.

"They left without me. I just wish they had stayed a little longer," I wept, and Renee knew that was not the reason for my tears.

"You know they couldn't. It would have been dangerous for them." She spoke to me as if she were speaking to one of her kindergarten students.

Renee knew everything. She knew the truth and the cover up stories. It had all came spilling out one day when I had gotten so tired of the lies and so tired of hurting. Because of the cover up story, I had to keep everything bottled up inside. I had no one to talk to, but I knew Renee had not stopped digging and looking into what was going on with my family and me. She was too inquisitive to do that. One day, much like today when I felt everything closing in on me, I spilled the beans. She asked about the pain and heartache I was experiencing, and I told her everything about imprinting, the wolves, vampires, and me. She knew now and she accepted it without doubt, and she even kept this secret from Phil. Renee didn't just know that story. She also knew about the phone call to Jake on my birthday.

"I thought going home would erase the pain!" My body shook with the sob that racked through me. "But he would just be with her, whoever she is, and I would still be hurting and watching from the outside."

I cried the rest of the night, and Renee unpacked my things like she always did, promising me that I would have the courage to go home to my family one day and also face Jake without the pain and heartache. I doubted that any of that would happen. But I let all of the false hope course through me as I fell asleep, praying that tomorrow would be a better day.

~0~0~0~

When I woke up, I was filled with renewed hope and new delusions that everything was not what it seemed. After I showered, I looked at myself in the mirror. I ran my hand through my curls - having let my hair return to its original color and style - pulling it back into a ponytail. _Today will be a better day,_ I repeated my mantra of false hope to myself over and over again. Dressing in a purple tank top and khaki shorts, I made my way to the kitchen for breakfast with Renee. We talked about the kids she taught, the books I've read, and even of movies but we never mentioned the breakdown from the night before.

School tended to drag on, especially when I was learning absolutely nothing. The worst part of the day was the class I had before lunch. This was the class when I used to pull out my phone and text Jake, telling him how much I missed him since we parted ways for homeroom. Now, there was no one to text, and when this class was over there would be no one's arms to run into at lunch like I had when Jake was here.

Mya waited for Dylan and me outside of our classroom. I walked silently with them to the lunchroom, only to stop dead in my tracks as I saw a tall, dark haired guy with muscles and tanned skin. His back was to me. I tried to isolate his scent alone, and when I did, I smelled the distinct scent of a wolf. I threw rationality aside and ran to him. It had to be Jacob coming for me. I called his name in my thoughts, and he turned, but it wasn't Jacob. It was Seth, flanked by Sam's half sister, Rasika, and some other girl.

Part of me was disappointed that he wasn't Jacob, but I launched myself into his arms anyway because my best friend was here in the flesh. Seth caught me as I jumped into his arms, and he squeezed me tight. I was holding on to him for dear life as if he would disappear if I let go. We held each other that way for a long time. My heart soared with happiness that some part of my old life was actually here. I didn't care why at this moment. I just wanted to touch him, be enveloped in his familiar warmth, his familiar scent. Seth reminded me of everything that had been good about being home. He was my second sun – not shining as bright as Jacob – but the one that always knew how to make me feel better when not even Jake knew what was good for me.

"Seth," I said, breathing him in once more to make sure he was real.

He kissed the top of my head, brotherly, and whispered into my hair, "I missed you, Ness." Tears spilled over as I heard Seth's nickname from me, coming from him right in front of me. Sure people called me Ness, but not like Seth. It sounded so familiar as if I had never stopped hearing it.

My moment with Seth had been interrupted when I heard someone clearing their throat behind me. "I'm not sure _my sister_ would appreciate this little reunion of yours," the girl I had never seen before had said.

I turned to look at the girl that had spoken to me, without loosening my arms from around Seth's waist. There was nothing between us, so why should I shrink away from him as if I were guilty? The girl wasn't a wolf, her scent wasn't woodsy. It had a sweetness about it that only vampires had, but she wasn't a vampire. This girl had a heartbeat and she appeared human, so she had to be a hybrid too. The only curious detail about her was her eyes. They were the defining thing that made her different. Her eyes were blue with a golden rim. The shade of golden mirrored my family's butterscotch eyes, which led me to believe that she was a "vegetarian" hybrid.

"You're Nema's sister," I stated, not needing to ask. "I thought her sisters had…" I didn't finish it, but I thought that her sisters had died, and Nema was the only one to survive.

"It's a long story, and the name is Antonia," she told me. Antonia looked uncomfortable standing in the middle of the lunchroom. I knew the look anywhere. It was the very same one that I had on my first day surrounded by all of the scents that my body craved.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Nessie, but I guess you already know that, seeing as you're here with Seth." I turned to Rasika then and stopped short when I noticed her close proximity to Antonia and the sheer way that she seemed to gravitate toward her. Every subtle move Antonia made, Rasika subconsciously made one as well. I could see the concern on her face for her imprint, it was the very same look that Jacob had had on my first day. "Rasika, congratulations." I mustered a smile. "I'm…happy for you," I said, not sounding in the least happy. Rasika and Antonia just added to the number of happy couples in this room.

The thought of happy couples reminded me that Dylan and Mya were somewhere near. I wanted to find out why Seth and the girls had come here, but I figured giving Mya and Dylan an excuse to leave first would be best. I looked over Seth's shoulder and they were there, curiously waiting for an explanation.

I let go of Seth then to address my friends. "Guys, these are friends from back home. Seth, Rasika and Antonia, this is Mya and Dylan," I introduced. "I think I'm going to cut class and catch up with them. I'll call you two later."

I lead the way out to the parking lot quickly, not sure how much restraint Antonia had against the bloodlust. Before I made my way to the car, I turned and asked, "Why did you come here?" I was looking at Seth when I asked this.

"We want you to come home," he insisted as if that was all.

"By 'we' you mean…?"

"All of us," he stated, and I knew something wasn't right.

"Who is _all_ of you? I don't have a home in Forks anymore. My parents aren't there."

"Could we stop playing this game? I didn't come all the way here to have a play on words," Antonia butted in, irritated.

"Fine, hop in my car. We're going to Renee's." We walked to my car.

They were all standing back as I opened the door to get in my 1967 baby blue convertible Chevrolet Camaro. "This is yours?" they all asked in unison.

~0~0~0~

I sat on my bed, watching as Antonia packed my clothes. She had insisted that I was going home today, and I didn't argue because I knew that I wasn't going home and that I would be unpacking all of my belongings as soon as they left. Rasika was looking at me apologetically, and Seth had been quiet for a few minutes, staring at me as if he were reading me.

Finally, I broke the silent chaos in the room. "I know he has someone else," I admitted quietly.

"Ness," Seth said, grabbing my hands and sitting down facing me. Even Antonia had stopped packing my bags to stare at me.

"I called him. I was going to come back on my birthday when you guys had left me the messages. But some woman answered his phone. I know that _he_ doesn't want me back, so what's the real reason for this visit?" I called them out on their bull.

"We know Jake, and I know you. You two are killing yourselves because of the pain. Toni is inside Jake's head on a daily basis. She knows more about his unhealthy behavior than we do. I don't know why you're fighting it, but I do know you deserve to be together. I know that you were scared before. I could see it in Jacob's memories, but I'm here now. I'll help you through it, like I always have." Seth traced the faint purple under my eyes. "When is the last time that you've eaten or went hunting, Ness? You really are trying to kill yourself – or someone else."

"I'm fine, Seth. I'll eat tonight."

"Tonight? So you plan on staying here," Rasika finally spoke from her place in the corner.

"I never said I was going anywhere, Rasika. I have packed those bags at least once a week for the past two months and I'm still here."

"Listen, we will be your support system, I promise. I know we weren't close and I really didn't talk to you much, but I understand the love. I realize that losing it is a pain that I can't even imagine, and I don't wish that on anyone. Come back and we'll help you. Besides, I hear Jake's thoughts too. I'm in his pack now, and I felt some of his pain. You didn't mean to hurt him," she told me with certainty.

I just nodded and Antonia started to speak. "You know, I'm surprised. I had you pegged wrong. You're hardcore, going all this time without hunting or eating. I would have snagged one of those humans by now and had a nice little snack."

I rolled my eyes. I couldn't decide whether or not I liked her, but if she kept referring to humans as snacks, I knew we would have problems. "You guys, I just…I don't know. Can I sleep on the decision? I'm sure Renee would let you and Rasika sleep on the couch. Seth you can sleep in my room or on the floor."

"The floor _in the living room_ is fine for him," Antonia answered for Seth.

Seth kissed my forehead and walked out of the room followed by Rasika. _If you're supposed to be a mind reader, why can't you see that there is nothing going between Seth and me?_ I thought to Antonia.

"Because I know that there used to be_,"_ she replied.

"He has Nema, and I don't see anyone but Jake."

"You know, you claim to love him and want him back, but the only way to get him is to come back. Nessie, you can't fight for him when you're not even a contestant in the fight."

That night, sleep took a while to come as I mulled over the decision. Should I go or should I stay? What would be the consequences? I still wasn't sure of myself when I woke the next morning. My room was empty of all of my belongings, except one outfit that I suppose I was supposed to wear today.

I walked out of the room to see Seth and the girls sitting at the table eating breakfast with Renee and Phil. "Where are my things?" I asked, almost angrily.

"I tried to stop them, but I couldn't. They've put your things in the car," Renee informed me. I could see a smile on her face and I knew that her explanation wasn't completely truthful. She was in on this too!

I ate breakfast silently, not speaking to any of them. How could they make decisions for me? I knew what I wanted and what I didn't. I knew what I could take and what I couldn't_. If this blows up in my face it's their fault. All of them. _

When we were done eating, Antonia stood. "It was nice meeting you two," she told Renee and Phil. "Ras and I will be in the car waiting for you to get dressed. We have a long trip ahead of us, and we want to get back so that Seth doesn't go crazy being away from Nema for so long."

I went to get dressed, trying to find a way out of this, but I couldn't. Antonia had all her bases covered. She made sure not to leave my wallet, any of my credit cards, my cell phone, or my spare cash in the room. They had it all in the car.

On my way out of the bathroom, Seth caught me. "You ready?" he asked eagerly. "I just want to let you know that our family isn't complete without you. We need you around, and most of all Jake needs you."

I sighed. "Could I have a moment with my grandparents?" Seth went out to the car with the others, leaving me to either plan a way out of this or give in and say my goodbyes. I looked at Renee. "You helped them?"

She nodded with a smile. "It was the right thing to do. Honey, you weren't strong enough to make this decision alone, but now you don't have to face all the things you've been hiding from alone either. You have friends that care about you. I can see that Seth loves you, and though he has someone, I don't think he'll be completely happy unless you're happy again as well. You two have a bond. I can see it. I think you should go. You won't get another chance like this or have a support system like this. We'll miss you, but you need to be home. I called Amya and Dylan. They are in the living room, waiting to say goodbye."

I said my goodbyes to Renee and Phil, and then walked into the living room to bid my new friends farewell too. It was heartfelt and full of tears, but I had promised to keep in touch with them all. They stood watching as I took one last look over my shoulder and got into the car, and Antonia drove us away. I was leaving a piece of my heart in Jacksonville. The friendships I'd forged, the family I'd gained was being left behind, and all uncertainty was ahead of me. I didn't fret too much because I knew that if nothing else, I had the support of my family – Rasika and Antonia included now as well.

**Seth's POV**

I sat in the backseat, anxious to know if Ness would actually come out of the house. I knew her and I knew that she would consider a way out of doing this. Her friends had come, so I was guessing she decided to finally leave with us. I did feel a bit guilty that we had an ulterior motive to coming to get her. If she found out, I seriously doubted if she would ever trust me again. There were so many times that I could have come to her rescue. But suddenly when sex with Nema was in jeopardy, I put my foot down and agreed with Antonia. That wasn't what best friends did. I should have come before this, done something before now.

_Seth, cool it with the self-loathing crap. First it was the lovely love comment yesterday morning, now you're beating yourself up about things you should have done? We've got to keep you away from Edward!_ Antonia thought.

_I'm just worried about Ness. We've been friends for a while and been through a lot together._

_Something in Renee's thoughts struck me. She's a very perceptive human. The woman studied you and Nessie. She saw your bond, and I'm new to imprinting but Nema doesn't make you completely happy. That's not how it's supposed to be, is it? You're not happy unless Nessie is happy too. I know you worry about her. I hear it, and that worries me,_ she expressed her concern.

_It's nothing like you think, Antonia. Yes, we're close. Sometimes we get each other better than our imprints get us, but that's it. I don't know if it's supposed to be like that, but it is. You don't have to worry about me hurting Nema, because I would never hurt her. I love her more than my own life, and I'll protect her until the end. I promise._

_You're alright, Seth. But there is one other thing that bothers me. I searched her mind and she lied to Nema, and you didn't own up to the truth either._

_That's because we were trying to protect her. She was already shaky from Nahuel belittling her, and her confidence was shot. You know. You saw the scene in her head. He twisted the truth and if that one little thing came out, she would've believed him and…and left me. That's something Nema doesn't need to know, okay?_

_I know that you're telling me the truth, but if you hurt her, you're dead._

_I wouldn't dare,_ I promised with conviction. It was true Nema was my life, and Ness was a lesser –but important – part of that life.

Ness came walking out of the house then with tear streaked cheeks from saying goodbye to her friends and grandparents. She slid into the backseat beside me and curled into my side with her head on my shoulder. Her eyes were closed and I knew that she was mentally preparing herself for the task ahead. I settled in for the long ride, catching Toni's watchful eyes in the rearview mirror.

**Antonia's Pov**

Ness and I snapped our heads in the direction of the distinct rumbling of Seth and Rasika's stomachs. "Lunch time for the wolves?" I asked them both. They both nodded their heads enthusiastically. "I don't know what's good, so you are going to have to tell me where to pull over," I told them both.

"If we're just going for fast food it's all pretty much the same. There's a McDonald's just off the interstate over there. Let's eat inside," Seth responded. I could see that he and Ras liked it so I pulled in. I was instantly nauseous at the smells of the place.

"You shouldn't scrunch your face up so much. It'll get stuck like that you know." Ras tried to smooth out the features of my face with her fingertips. She wrapped me up in her arms like we weren't in the middle of a restaurant while we waited to place their orders.

"Well, if it didn't smell so bad, I wouldn't have to scrunch my face up. What do you guys want?" I asked as the cashier looked at us expectantly. He was having some rather unsavory thoughts about how much fun a foursome with me, Ras and Ness would be.

"Two 20 piece chicken nuggets, a large fry and a large chocolate shake," Rasika leaned over me to place her order.

"I'll have the same thing but with a vanilla shake and add a cheeseburger," Seth completed his order and looked at Ness.

"I just want a hamburger happy meal," she said. The look on the guys face as we took our trays to sit down was priceless. Ras and Seth polished off both their meals in record time.

~0~0~0~

This was already turning into an interesting road trip. It was the end of the first day and we were in Nebraska somewhere. Rasika and Seth had managed to both fit comfortably enough in the back seat to fall asleep. They should look into becoming physicist because there is no way that a six foot two female and a six foot ten male should be able to lie down in the back seat of a standard sized car.

"Why did you get so bent out of shape about me and Seth?" Ness asked me.

"I was pretty horrible to Nema when I moved in with her. I just want to look out for her anyway I can. She was hurt enough between me and _Nahuel," _I sneered his name at the end.

"How did you know that me and Seth had a thing once? Was Seth thinking about it or something?" she asked me looking out the window.

"No, but he had memories of it." I let her mull over it in her mind. _You think that I'm a mind reader like your dad, but truth is I'm more like a mix of your father and Aro. I don't have to touch you to read your mind, like your dad, but if I'm curious about something I can search every memory you have related to it. Just like Aro. _

_So you searched every memory I have? _she asked me sounding angry.

_No, I searched every memory Seth has related back to you, _I answered her. She still looked angry, but now she was angry because I had invaded Seth's privacy. _Relax, Ness, Seth knows what I'm capable of more than you do. He knows I'll only look into someone's memories if I think I need to. I don't do it for fun. It's not like I walk around looking for random people's minds to search through. _

_Can you turn it off? _she asked holding on to a slim ray of hope that I hadn't read every thought she'd had since coming to get her.

_Yes, but it's difficult. It takes a lot of concentration and it's mentally exhausting so usually I just shove everything to the back of my mind, _I told her honestly.

_Can you be tricked? Like if I don't want you to know something can I think of something else to hide it? _

_Yes, but really only your current conscious thoughts. If it's a memory it's pretty much fair game. The good news for you is if I don't know what you are thinking about, chances are good I won't know what to look for. _

_Can I ask you another question, Toni?_ she thought to me softly.

_Yeah, sure, go for it._ I wish I'd known what she wanted to talk to me about, but she was hiding her thoughts from me now that she knew she could.

_How are you alive? Nema always said all of her sisters were killed by the Volturi_.

_We were too valuable for the Volturi to kill. We were granted pardons for our father's crimes in exchange for service to the Volturi. It's funny I used to kind of wish they would have just killed me. I can see now why I'm alive though. I was born to be Rasika's mate and she was born to be mine. I can live with who I used to be if I get to be with her for our eternity, _I told her.

_Were you there for the fight? _Her thoughts were getting quieter as the line of questioning grew more intense.

_Yes, I was._

_Did you see the amazons and Ben die?_

_Yes, I did. _What I told her was the partial truth, but still the truth. I just hoped she never found out that Zafrina died by my hands. "I need to hunt," I announced as I pulled over behind a pasture where some horses where running around.

"Wait, you can't just kill that farmer's horses," Ness told me as I got out of the car. Our exchange had woken Ras and Seth up.

"Trust me, the farmer would rather I drain his horses than drain him. It's better I hunt now before going around more humans. We have to stop for gas and food and I need to be in control," I told her before I ran into the pasture to pick off a couple of easy targets. I heard Seth explaining my abilities to Ness in more detail than I had given her.

"How was your horse meat? You know it's a delicacy in France." Rasika grinned at me.

_Yuck. Live stock tastes so gross. I almost wanted stop and eat human food just to wash the taste out of my mouth. _I'm not sure I had ever heard her laugh so hard. She was snorting trying to tell Seth and Ness what I had thought of France's _delicacy_.

I just jumped back in the driver's seat and ignored her as difficult as it was. I was always conscious of her. Any move she made, her breathing and I had even caught myself counting her heartbeats on more than one occasion. She was my whole life just like Jacob was Ness's. Hopefully they will get that back for each other.

~0~0~0~

The rest of the drive back to Washington had been relatively uneventful. We only stopped for food and gas. I had never thought I would be excited to be back in Forks but I was thrilled. I turned onto the lane leading up to the house when I noticed I could hear Kelly's thoughts coming from the house. Great, just what we needed. We finally get Ness home and Dumbshit brought the sinus condition to the house. I parked the car in the drive and went ahead and started to grab Ness's bags. I didn't want her to have everything she needed if she was going to leave. I made sure to grab the bag with all of her credit cards and cell in it.

_Why is she here, Nema? _I thought to her. We had called her as soon as we had entered Forks to let her know we would be home in a matter of minutes.

_I don't know, she just showed up like she always does. She just got here, _Nema thought back to me as I passed by her with Ness's luggage. I dropped them in Nema's room because I didn't know where else to put them and walked over to my room. Jake's door was missing. "I guess he put his door back," I said absent mindedly to myself. I realized my mistake as a loud moan filled the house followed by a "oh Jakkiie". I heard Ness climbing the stairs and Nema trying to stop her. This was going to be good.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading :) You know you wanna click the button and give us a piece of your mind for leaving you guys with a cliffie.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**

**Hope you guys enjoy! This chapter gets very lemony! **

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Bad ass Ness<br>**

**Nessie's POV**

I was a bundle of nerves as the car pulled into the driveway of what used to be my family's home and was now Nema's. I didn't truly know what to expect Jacob's reaction to be, but I did know not to expect a warm welcome from him. I would simply have to take it like a woman and handle it with the new found maturity that I had gained in my absence from home. Someday he would have to forgive me, and he would have to understand my reasons for staying in Florida. If we couldn't be together anymore, I was holding on to the hope of friendship. I would do whatever I needed to earn back his trust -even grovel.

I got out of the car. Antonia was already out and taking my bags inside. For some reason she _really_ wanted me back in town. I was greeted by Nema's familiar smile, shining brightly as I walked into the house.

"Nema!" She embraced me in a hug. "I've missed you so much!" I told her.

I heard Antonia say from upstairs, "I guess he put his door back."

I was confused by her statement and asked, "What does she mean by that?"

After hugging me tightly, Nema proceeded with a question, pretending not to hear me. "Why didn't you answer my calls?"

"I was -" My sentence was cut short when I heard a very nasally moan coming from upstairs. I stopped in my tracks, pulling away from Nema. I heard it again, and this time Jake's name came from the mystery slut's mouth. It had to be the most annoying sound in the world. I briefly wondered if Danielle - a classmate from Jacksonville - was up there, because nasally was her trademark. This was a cross between a whine and a slow drawl that somehow got stuck somewhere in the nasal cavity.

The moaning was on a constant loop, and I began my trek up the stairs as I heard Nema call my name, trying to stop me. In a distant part of my mind I heard Quil and Embry plop down on the couch with one of them saying, "This is going to be good." I was on the third floor now, my father's old bedroom the only one up here. Jake and nasally slut were in that room having sex on _my dad's bed._ This was where I had so many memories; this was the room _I _slept in when I stayed over. Jake was tainting those memories. He was tainting _our_ memories. I was never romantically involved with another guy while I was away. I thought I had made my feelings clear! But what hurt more was his blatant disrespect for my father's room and his blatant disrespect for me. I was seeing red. My hand was on the door knob but I was crushing it. I yanked the door off the hinges and threw it over the staircase with just the slightest flick of my wrist. My heart was pounding and the only emotion I felt in that moment was anger. _How dare that bastard do this in my family's home?_

Jake mumbled something about Antonia getting an eye full and then kept on fucking nasally slut. I went from the doorway to the bed in half a second, grabbing a handful of her blond hair and snatching her off of Jacob and onto the floor. I knew that she was human and I was using all of my strength and speed, but I couldn't stop myself. I was experiencing such strong emotions that I had never felt before. I didn't know if it had anything to do with love or imprinting, or both. My hand still had a grip on her hair as I threw her naked body against the wall, not entirely using all of my force. I heard a chorus of "ooo" from downstairs as if they were watching a wrestling match or something.

She was starting to get up, and I had her pinned against the wall with my hand around her neck before she had time to see me coming. My face was close to hers and I could smell her fear. _That's right, bitch, be scared._ I was chocking her and I could see her struggling for air. "Jake, you fucked this bitch in my family's house? On my father's bed?"

"This isn't the first time!" Quil yelled from downstairs.

My hand tightened around her neck. "I could snap her neck right now, Jake. Is that what you want? Is that why you disrespected this house - this room? To hurt me?"

Jake didn't answer. When I looked his way, he was frozen with his eyes wide, as if he was afraid of me. The truth be told, I was afraid of myself. I was dangerous, murderous even. My instincts screamed to kill and I didn't fight them.

I raised my voice. "I said, is that why you fucking brought her here?"

At that moment the nasally slut started coughing and going limp against the wall. She was inches from death and I started to loosen my grip a bit. I remembered who I was and I started to let her go. Seeing her so close to death made me realize that killing innocent people wasn't what my family stood for. Jacob couldn't see this from where he was standing behind me, so he grabbed me, trying to restrain me.

All I could picture was his hands on nasally slut and I lost it once again. I had never used all of my strength on Jacob, but tonight was different. There was so much hate, anger, jealousy, and sadness coursing through me that I didn't care. I pushed him away, throwing him into the wall opposite of us. The impact was hard enough to put a few cracks in the wall and shake the whole house. "Keep your damn hands off of me," I nearly screamed.

While he was recovering from the impact, I turned my attention once more to nasally slut. "And you," I said, stalking closer to her as she was trying to squirm away. I grabbed her clothes and threw them at her. "Get the hell out of this house. I don't _ever_ want to see you here again, because if I do I will tear you limb from limb, making your death a very slow and very torturous one." She grabbed her clothes, putting them on in a hurry and I advised, "One of you come up here and get this bitch before she dies tonight."

After she had finished dressing, I pulled her toward me by the collar of her shirt. I took a deep breath and planned to do something that I had discovered that I could do while I was in Florida. I looked into her eyes, seeing them change from conscious to trance like. "Forget the things that you can't explain here. The only thing that happened was that you got your ass kicked by Jacob's ex-girlfriend. Now you're going to leave and you're not coming back here, is that clear?"

"Jake, I'm leaving. Things are way too complicated here, and I won't be back," she said as I let her go.

Embry came up to help her out of the room, and I turned my attention to Jacob. He had gotten to his feet. "Does she mean something to you, Jacob?" I asked, feeling the rage coming back full force now.

"Ness - " he started.

"Shut up!" I yelled, grabbing a glass vase and throwing at him, only missing by a few centimeters. There was another hole in the wall near his head and shards of glass everywhere. "I don't want to hear it. I only want to hear an answer to my fucking question."

"No," he admitted with his eyes downcast.

At this news, I picked up the nightstand that the vase had sat on and I threw that at him, managing to hit him in the chest and knock him backwards. _So he was trying to hurt me!_ This made me even madder, and I was completely losing myself to the rage building inside of me. He bent down to put on his jeans.

"Oh, getting dressed for me? Don't bother putting on clothes. They strip you down for the autopsy report anyway, this will make their job easier," I said, picking up the bookcase, throwing it at him as books clattered to the floor all around the room. He moved out of the way and I ended up taking out part of the big glass window in the room.

I was breathing heavy, not from exertion, but from sheer anger. "Why do you want to get dressed now, Jacob? You sure didn't have a problem getting naked and desecrating this room with Nasally Bitch!" I asked as I picked up books and began throwing them at him at a speed that he couldn't keep up with. I broke his nose with the hard back of _Pride and Prejudice._ I heard that satisfying crack as it hit him square in the nose. Books were flying at him right and left. Some hit the walls and stayed there, others flew out the window with the book case.

When I paused to catch my breath, he made his way toward me trying to restrain me again as I struggled. I began to hear moaning from other rooms. I was here mad as hell and they were _having sex?_ This brought back thoughts of Nasally Bitch, and I pushed him off of me and screamed, "You bastard!" He crashed against another wall, making a hole. They got louder and I got angrier. My eyes flashed to the bed and I picked the entire bed up and threw it out the window, breaking what was left of the glass window. "How dare you? In the bed that I slept in! In the room that I spent most of my time in here?" I picked up one of the speakers to the sound system and threw it at him. It landed right on his shoulder dislocating it, and this time he screamed out in pain. I was done then. There was the pain that I was looking for. My rage was running low now. I was about to walk out the door, leaving him there until I stepped on a book. It was a book about star-crossed lovers and eternal love. I picked it up, turning it over in my hands, and I said, "Don't you ever bring her back in the house again, or so help me..." I chucked the book at him. I didn't know if it had hit him or not because I was out of the house before it made impact with anything.

I got in my car and I drove away with tears streaming down my eyes. It was late, and I knew that Charlie and Sue would be asleep but I didn't want to just sneak in. I knocked on the door and waited for a groggy, confused Charlie to open the door. When he saw me, he became more alert, taking in what he saw before him. His initial happiness to see me was replaced by concern as he saw that I was crying.

"Do I need to arrest someone?" was the first thing he asked.

"If it's anyone it's probably me you should arrest. I hurt him pretty bad when I saw them together," I told him through my sniffles.

"Jake and Kelly," he guessed.

I just nodded as he took me into his arms for a hug. "You know we always have a room for you here. We'll talk in the morning."

"Thanks, Grandpa."

I headed up to my mom's old room. It was untainted by Jacob and _Kelly_ as Charlie called her. I still preferred Nasally slut, but if he says she has a respectable name like Kelly, I guess I have to believe him. This room held memories, painful memories-painful because they represented a time before everything went so wrong. I guess I'd return to see the damage I'd done tomorrow. In a way I felt bad for what I'd done to Jacob, and I hoped that he would mend. I also hoped that I didn't permanently scar Kelly for life at the way I'd reacted. Imprinting brought with it some strong emotions. All I could think when I saw them together was "kill, kill, kill". Through the course of my existence, I'd experienced intense love for Jacob, earth shattering heartbreak, and then uncontrollable rage-crazed jealousy. Maybe I would apologize for what I'd done, and maybe I wouldn't. He deserved some of what he'd gotten for the blatant disrespect. I thought of a simpler time in our relationship as I drifted off to sleep.

**Rasika's POV**

I cringed as Toni showed us what Ness was seeing as she walked into Jake's bedroom. I think he dug into the Kama Sutra to come up with that position. I was going to have to store it away for later. The look on Kelly and Jake's faces was absolutely priceless as Ness dragged her to the floor by her hair. Toni was showing us exactly what was happening upstairs through their minds. It was better than a 3-D movie. Quil and Embry had even popped popcorn as we watched. It may have been wrong, but frankly Jake and our own personal cock blocker had disrespected us all enough to edge out our guilt.

Kelly had pretty much stopped moving and we were about to go upstairs to get her before Ness killed her when she let her go completely. She was throwing everything she could get her hands on at Jake. _Ouch_, was pretty much the collective thought throughout the room when we saw Ness throw a book at Jake and break his nose. She abruptly threw Kelly's clothes at her so that she could get dressed. "One of you come up here and get this bitch before she dies tonight," Ness yelled down to the living room. We all looked at each other and then back at Embry.

"Fine, I'll take her, but you guys fucking suck," Embry grumbled as he got to his feet and went upstairs.

Once she had clothes on Ness reached out and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. Ness told her to forget everything and leave_._

_Amazing. How did she do that? _Toni wondered to us as she became so engrossed in her own thoughts that she quit following what had happened.

_Do what? _We all asked in unison in our thoughts.

_Kelly doesn't remember anything that Ness did that wasn't human. I just checked her memories. They were buried so deep I had trouble finding them. I don't think anything will ever make her remember what she saw here today, _Toni finished telling us._ She has officially graduated from Renesmee to badass Ness. _

We all wished Kelly a good night as she and Embry left the house. We all sat back and listened to the rest of the carnage unfolding on the third floor. Toni lifted her head quickly as she launched herself into my lap and crushed her lips to mine.

"She's gone. She... is... gone," she reiterated nodding her head waiting for me to get it. "Let's fuck." She didn't have to even finish the sentence as I picked her up bridal style and ran up the stairs to our bed room.  
>"Good night, Nema and Seth," I tossed behind me.<p>

"Rasika, we are _all_ about to have a great night," Seth said as he came up the stairs behind me with Nema laughing. He had slung her over his shoulder cave man style. We stopped dead as we hit the second floor.

"And the door is back off the frame. I'm going to have to fix that tomorrow, but it's totally worth it tonight. I think that counts as mine because I helped bring her back. Toni-4 and Black still zero." Toni laughed as we stepped over Jake's door to get into our room. She started nipping at my neck lightly with her teeth as I closed the door. She had never bitten me hard enough to break skin. She was afraid I would feel threatened if she bit into me instead of light nips and love bites.

I gently laid her out on the bed and quickly straddled her hips. I was content to worship every inch of her. I kissed her lightly on the forehead, then her eyes, the tip of her nose and back to her mouth. I started trailing kisses down her throat as I slid my hands under her shirt just to feel more of her cool skin against my own feverish hands. I leaned up and looked into her eyes. The gold had all faded into a lust filled black.

"I love you." I wished I knew a stronger word for what I felt for her, but I wasn't sure one existed.

"I love you too, mi Ciela." She leaned up on one elbow and kissed me gently. She ran her hand up under my shirt and across my stomach. The trail her fingers left was like wonderful, tingly electricity shooting out of her fingertips. I finally noticed that my bra had been unclasped, and in one swift movement she relieved me of my bra and my t-shirt. _Well, Hell, then you have to take your shirt off, too, _I thought more to myself but she heard me anyway. She sat up more as I slid the tank top up over her head.

"I need more of you, please." Toni nipped on my earlobes, begging for more contact. Who was I to tell her no? I stood up and slid my shorts down my legs as she unfastened her skirt and took it off. I hadn't even made it back to the bed when she tackled me to the ground. She pinned me to the ground and started running her tongue over my neck down to my collar bone eliciting moans from me. I could feel her fingers tracing paths of electricity over my skin as she fought for control of my lips. I felt her running her hands over my sex before she plunged her first two fingers into. _Your moaning is pissing Ness off. _She smiled down at me as she leaned down and licked my clit. She delivered hard and unyielding thrusts until I came, screaming.

I felt her kissing back up my body as I came down off the high that she offered me. I placed both hands on either side of her face and kissed her reverently. The taste of myself on her tongue turned me on again. I wanted to give back to her what she had just given me, but as I tried to grab her she shook her head at me and moved away. She came back to me with the strap on we had used before we left for Florida. _I told you we were going to use it when we got back, _Toni thought to me as she picked me up off the floor with her mind.

Once she had slid it into me I realized we had definite height differences. I picked her up and put her back against the door. She wrapped her legs around my hips to steady herself. Her lips and tongue never let up as I eased into her. The pressure of it pushing further into me was intense to say the very least. I pulled out slowly until just the tip was left before I thrust back into her quickly. I was gratified by her legs tightening around my hips.

"Faster...please, I can't stand it," Toni muttered to me as she nibbled on my ear.

"Vous aimez vivre la vie dure?" I asked her as I pounded harder into her, giving her what she wanted. I had been trying to be gentle, but I had no idea why. Toni wasn't breakable and she liked it rough. I could feel the door groaning against the onslaught, but I didn't care.

"Oui, je l'aime," she whispered to me. I could feel her pressing her teeth against my neck but refusing to lose control and bite down.

"Mordre moi, s'il vous plait. Mordre moi." I was begging for her to sink her teeth into me. I really wanted her to let go and bite me just once. It wasn't like she could kill me with it. I felt her hesitate before sinking her teeth into my shoulder. The passion that came from that gesture sent an animalistic surge through both of us. I heard the crack and felt the door give way behind Toni.

I felt the pressure building in my abdomen. I felt like I would explode soon without a release. Suddenly, I was very aware of two people in the hallway watching me and Toni going at it. We were too into it to care enough to stop right then, but that didn't mean I couldn't warn them.

"You... ha...ve... oh God...ten seconds to...oohh... get out of...Jesus... this hallway before...I finish and kill both of you!" I threatened them between random groans and calls to Jesus. "Baise-moi," I screamed as I came hard. I saw stars and flashes of light erupt behind my eyes. I don't know why _fuck me _is so much sexier when it is screamed out in French but my scream was all it took to send Toni over the edge. She snarled and bit me on the neck as she rode out the rest of her orgasm against me. I rested my forehead against hers and kissed her gently. We were both surprised when Nema's arm shot out of the wall over our heads, and Embry began to glance through the hole. We both doubled over laughing and finally went back to our room now minus a door.

**Seth's POV**

I was cringing as I saw books flying in the death match up stairs that Toni was broadcasting for us. But I couldn't feel sorry for Jacob for long. As soon as Kelly was escorted out of the house, Nema started tracing circles on the back of my hand with her thumb as our fingers were intertwined. It was an innocent gesture but even that was driving me crazy. I had missed her so much when I was away. Even when we were together here, I had missed our intimacy - thanks to the answer to celibacy and abstinence being around. Now she was gone, and I was completely elated that we wouldn't have to deal with her again. My heart went out to Ness, but it was obvious from the sounds upstairs that she could handle her own.

I snapped back out of listening to what was going on upstairs in time to see Rasika carrying Antonia up the stairs, saying over her shoulder, "Good night, Nema and Seth."

"Rasika, we are _all_ about to have a great night," I said as I picked Nema up, tossing her over my shoulder, and smacking her ass. She squealed playfully, laughing.

When we reached our room, I let her down. She looked into my eyes and her grey eyes were shining with playful mischief, and her luscious, full lips looked as if they were begging to be kissed. My lips descended upon hers, and I had every intention of this kiss showing her just how much I missed her but she pulled away.

Nema smiled lightly. "I'll be right back, okay?"

Confusion had to be apparent on my face. My mouth was open and for a second I didn't say anything. "Ah...sure."

I waited exactly three minutes and forty-five seconds, pacing back and forth, before Nema returned. She came out of the bathroom with her black satin robe on, and she had taken her hair out of the long braid it had been in and pulled it back into a loose ponytail. _Maybe Nema didn't have the same idea that I had had. Maybe she was tired or just wanted to go to sleep._

"You tired, kitten?" I asked, trying to figure out what she was thinking.

"Seth, when you were away, I missed you so much." Her voice was a soft, seductive purr. She had the stereo remote in her hand and she turned it on.

"I missed you t -" My sentence was cut short when Nema let her robe fall to the floor.

She was wearing a lacy, purple baby doll camisole with the matching lace thong and pumps. I had been too preoccupied with my thoughts to notice her pumps before. _Had I seen those before¸ I would have known she wasn't tire,_ I thought as my eyes slid over her sexy body, my breath hitching in my throat. The lace left nothing to the imagination as I admired her beautiful breasts. The camisole parted, revealing the sun kissed brown skin of her stomach. I followed my gaze down to the tiny thing were supposed to be underwear. Nema's long legs went on for days to end my moment of admiration on the fuck me pumps that matched everything.

I was instantly hard, and all I could think was _Thank you Victoria's Secret very sexy collection._ Nema's body started swaying suggestively to the music, and in one swift move her hair was flowing from the ponytail and down to her waist like a waterfall. I was entranced by her and all I could do was sit on the edge of the bed, watching as she danced for me and her hands roamed over her body. As her hands passed over her breasts, I couldn't sit any longer. I had to be touching her, kissing her. When I stood, she shook her head and pushed me away when I reached her.

"I want to show you," she whispered.

I walked backward back to my place on the bed, my eyes never leaving her for a second as she kneaded her breasts and teased her nipples. Her fingers snaked down her stomach and thighs and then her right hand slowly crept up her inner thigh. Nema began to massage herself through her panties, and I swallowed hard. I gripped the end of the bed hard, trying to restrain myself from going to her.

She moaned out my name as she slid the fabric aside and sank her fingers in. Nema had never let me see her masturbate before, and here she was giving me a show. There was no trace of the shy, innocent Nema. She slid her fingers out and placed them in her mouth, sucking them slowly as she approached me.

Right in front of me she began to strip and give me a lap dance, but she wouldn't let me touch her. When she was completely naked, she straddled me, placing a long awaited kiss on my lips and plunging her tongue into my mouth. My hands ran up and down her body as we kissed.

She broke our kiss to speak. "When you were away," she started, but all I could do was watch her hands as they trailed down her body once more and stopped at her entrance. "I yearned for you." Her fingers plunged in, moving in and out slowly. I was gripping the bed so hard now that I was about to tear it to pieces. She trailed feather light kisses down my neck. "Show me," she whispered. All I could do was follow her orders. She had me entranced. I unzipped my jeans and freed my straining erection and began stroking it in time with Nema's fingers. Not being able to touch Nema as she straddled me was torture of the best kind. Her lips were all over me, and as her fingers quickened their pace so did my hand, following her. Her thumb flicked repeatedly over her clit and her body began to twitch. "Oh, Seth, mi amor!" She moaned. "I...quiero...mucho. You...amo," she was screaming out in a jumble of Spanglish. Nema plastered her lips to mine then as she came, and I was close behind her when she grabbed my wrist, stopping me.

She got on her knees on the floor, and the tip of her tongue ran from the base to the tip of my erection. My eyes rolled in the back of my head. I was in the best kind of heaven as Nema's lips wrapped around me. As she began sucking me, my mind muddled into incoherency and all I could say was, "Amen, Nema, Amen!" When her pace quickened, I fisted my hands in her hair, feeling my release vastly approaching. "Damn, Nema! Shit...oh...shit...shit...shit," I yelled as I came.

**Nema's POV**

I stood, my lips crashing into Seth's with urgency. He growled when he tasted himself on me. He had a firm grip on my hips as our tongues dueled. I was yearning for him now. I had teased him for far too long, and I needed him. When we broke away for air, Seth stood, taking off his clothes.

"Kitten, why don't you crawl into bed?" he said roughly.

Since he insisted on me being his sex kitten, I crawled into bed on my hands and knees, wiggling my rear at him. I looked over my shoulder to see him raise an eyebrow. "Oh, is that an invitation?" Before I could answer, he was behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me upright against his chest. His breath caressed my neck as he held me there for a second, not saying anything. I could feel his erection against my back. "You've been calling the shots all night and driving me mad," he said with his lips pressed against my ear, before taking my earlobe between his teeth and biting down hard. I screamed out at this painful pleasure. "Now it's my turn," his velvet voice flowed into my ear once more. "Put your hands on the headboard," he commanded. I did as he had commanded, and he nudged my legs even further apart as he gripped my hips.

Seth plunged into my wet, aching core and I whimpered in satisfaction. He pulled out and I could feel the tip of him at my entrance. When he didn't make a move, I tried lean against him, but his tight grip on my hips stopped me. "Baby, please. Please...I'll do anything. I _need_ you!" I begged frantically.

"What do you want me to do, Nema?"

"I want you to make me scream so loud people in La Push will hear it. Seth, fuck me hard."

He began pounding into me roughly as he said, "Is this how you want it, kitten?"

"Hay Dios Mio! Harder, Papi!"

Seth did as I asked, thrusting into me hard and fast as he dug his fingers into my hips. He bit down on my neck relentlessly and I screamed out, ripping the headboard in two. I started meeting his thrusts with thrusts of my own as Seth began squeezing my breasts and going harder, causing our bed to break under the force of our thrusts. This didn't stop us; it felt too good to stop now. He slightly shifted his position, and at this new angle he was hitting just the right spot that sent me on an endless loop of screaming.

Without a headboard to hold on to, my hands were on the wall and I began to pound my fist against it. "Oh Fuck...Seth...Seth...right there!" I screamed and my fist went through the wall, making a hole.

I opened my eyes and saw Embry peeking through the hole, watching us. "Get the...oh shit, Seth, yes!" I started to yell at Embry but Seth's thumb circled my clit. "Get out! Oh...oh, tiger, I'm coming!" My body started to twitch once again as Seth continued to pound into me, until finally biting down on my shoulder, he came.

As we lay on our broken bed, in each other's arms, Seth said, "Damn, I didn't know you had that in you, my little freak." He kissed me, getting ready for round two.

**Jake's POV**

As the last book went flying, I was stunned into silence - though the pain may have had something to do with that. Renesmee wasn't aiming for me when she threw the book. This I knew because when it was meant for me, it came crashing with painful accuracy. The book missed me by a few centimeters, but she was already out the door and in her car before she could hear the result. I slowly slid down the wall, setting my nose back in place so it would mend. Debris covered the entire floor from the things she had thrown at me. There wasn't a single piece of furniture left in one piece in this room. It was like a hurricane had whipped through, destroying everything in its path. I never would have thought that "Hurricane Ness" could have caused all of this destruction.

"Quil!" I yelled, leaning my head against the wall and closing my eyes.

My entire body hurt. She had left no surface untouched, and my heart most of all seared with pain. Seeing her had hashed open the wounds that I had so desperately tried to patch up.

"Yeah, Jake, what's - Holy _shit_! What did she _do_ to you?" Quil exclaimed once he entered the room.

"Shut the fuck up and come over here and help me pop my shoulder back in," I told him.

Quil grabbed my arm, working it back into place and it hurt like Hell when he popped it back in. I knew that I was mending, I could feel the inner workings of my body and the pain slowly start to alleviate, but it would be another few hours at least for it to stop. Even breathing hurt, and all I could do was go from my sitting position on the floor to laying down, my head resting on a book that she had thrown at me. My breathing was ragged and Quil noticed.

"You okay?" he asked, finally being serious.

"I have a few broken ribs, probably from tables, night stands, and books being thrown at me."

Quil snorted. "I'm never pissing Claire off. I don't care how long it takes; I'm not touching another woman."

"Well, I'm pretty sure Claire isn't going to pick up a bookcase and throw it at you."

"What were you thinking, Jake? You heard the car, you smelled her scent, and you even heard her speaking. You had to!"

"I thought I was just imagining it, getting too caught up in my memories."

Quil shook his head. "You didn't even try to defend yourself."

"Am I supposed to go wolf and fight the girl that I...She was using fucking _vampire strength_! I thought she would kill Kelly from the way she was acting! I didn't know what to do. She's never embraced her vampire side so much, and she was kicking my ass and Kelly's."

"Ness was so badass!"

"What is she even doing here?" Quil didn't say anything, probably not wanting to answer. "Don't make me force you to tell me, because I will."

"Fine. Seth, Toni and Ras went and got her," he admitted.

"What? And you didn't tell me! And then those fuckers had sex while I was getting my ass kicked and that only made her madder and she threw the bed out the window! I thought Leah was selfish, but they don't have anything on her."

"Sorry, Jake. I couldn't take the screeches anymore. They were driving me insane too! I'm going to go get some sleep...now that the cause of erectile dysfunction is gone, and the freaks in the house have finally decided to sleep."

I just nodded, closing my eyes. They were going to really hurt Nessie's feelings when she found out they only wanted her here so that they could have - wait why the hell did I care if her feelings get hurt? She sure didn't care when she tore my heart out and did the Mexican hat dance all over it. This left me to wonder why she even cared what I did with Kelly. In the beginning all of her rage had been for Kelly, and she did some weird shit when she looked at her. I couldn't see what was happening. All I knew was that Kelly's eyes were unfocused, and all of a sudden she snapped back telling me that she wouldn't be back here again. In her fit of rage, Renesmee wasn't even the same person I knew. She was spitting out profanities, yelling and living up to the half of herself that she so vehemently tried to deny.

With her return brought back feelings that I couldn't truly place anymore. It sent confusion through me and a shock to my system. Looking at her made hate, hurt, and anger bubble up inside of me, but on the other hand I felt the pull that had been hanging by a thread grow in magnitude. I wanted to go to her, kiss her, show her the love that I had for her so long ago, and forgive her for everything. I knew that was just the imprinted part of me instilling those things in me. I didn't want her back..._did I? _ She was just here to make my life miserable. Why didn't she just go to Portland with her family and stop making my life a living Hell because Antonia and Seth wanted some nookie. Antonia probably dragged her back here..._I hope she didn't hurt -_ _I remember her not wanting to ever come back to Forks._ Maybe she'd come back and maybe she wouldn't. I personally didn't give a damn what she decided. I was too pissed off to care much about anything. Seth - the little judgmental bastard - and the two queen bitches of self-centeredness had brought this on me. They didn't give a damn about Renesmee and her wellbeing. If she does come back here, I have every intention of knocking Seth off that high pedestal that she insists on putting him on. My head was spinning and the longer I thought about it the more pissed off I got. I really needed some sleep to get my head straight because I wasn't even pissed about them going behind my back. I realized that I was angry because they had deceived _her._

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><p><strong>We hope you all enjoyed it! We'd love to know what you think of the Hurricane that just blew through that house! And also if you review you get a preview of what's to come. This is not over by far ;)<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything :(**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: After the Storm<strong>

**Antonia's Pov**

I stretched out on the hard wood of our platform bed. We lost control and I managed to shred the top of our mattress, making it basically unusable. It was currently propped up against the smashed dresser and armoire that now lay in a heap. It was going to be a pain in the ass to clean up the house. I had to admit though I was more than a little bit pleased with myself, looking around the destruction that laced my bedroom. I had destroyed most of our furniture, except for the bed. The only reason that was intact was because I refused to grab onto any of the wood. I took all my aggression out on the mattress and one of my favorite down pillows. My bedroom looked like I ate a chicken.

When I finally stood up, put on a plain fitted t-shirt and pair of jeans and walked to my doorway. I stopped to look at the destruction in the hall. Our door now lay on top of Jacob's partially splintered door and dry wall covered the floor from where Nema had punched a huge hole through her wall. _Think of the devil, _I thought as Nema opened their bedroom door and began to survey damage too.

"Good morning… kitten," I said to her, barely able to contain my laughter. I saw the red blush spread across her cheeks. It was quite the feat to make Nema blush. She was darker than I was.

"Let's go and check the damage upstairs," she whispered, trying her best to ignore the jab I had made at her. The relationship between my sister and me was quickly repairing itself. It wasn't insane to claim that I truly did love her now that I had gotten to know her.

"You got it, kitten." I couldn't hold the laughter back this time. I broke down laughing as we got to the third floor steps. Jake had left early this morning to go run, finally unable to stand hearing somebody else getting laid for a change. He was pissed at us but we knew he would be, so no surprise there.

The carnage waiting for us once we got upstairs was unreal. There was not a single piece of unbroken furniture in the room. The bed and book shelf were outside on the ground and books were everywhere. The wall of glass windows had been smashed by the bed and bookshelf. Nema and I walked over to the wall Jacob had been standing against for part of the onslaught. You could tell because this was where most of the books were congregated on the floor and a surprising number of them actually stuck in the wall.

"Hey, at least we got a balcony out of the deal," I said to Nema who looked like she wanted to cry at the damage Ness had done to her house. She clearly wasn't thinking that between the two of us we had managed to do just as much damage to the second floor. I walked over to the wall and pulled out Hamlet. It fell apart in my hands. "Well the good news is that I prepared for this. Well, to fix the hole in my own wall but score to being able to fix this too." I shrugged as I continued to pull books out of the wall.

"What do mean you were prepared?" Nema asked with hope filling her voice. She really was concerned.

"I knew I was going to have to fix the hole I made in my wall last week so I looked up how to dry wall. In light of recent events I looked up how to replace door frames too," I told her. She was glad that at least those jobs were covered, but someone else was going to have to fix the windows.

"Okay, we need to figure out what all needs to be done," Nema told me as I picked up splintered remains of the nightstand.

"I think in here it is pretty obvious, everything needs to be done," I told her as I dropped the boards back on the floor.

"Okay, so you can do all of the dry wall and fix the door. Plus, I…um…need the hole in my wall patched as well as your room and door fixed." She spoke quietly trying to underplay the fact that I had to fix her wall too. "Rasika and Seth can separate all the broken furniture and books and salvage whatever they can. I'll handle the entire general cleanup and either getting new furniture over here from the cottage or ordering more if we need it. Jake and Ness can help when they get back, I suppose," Nema finished as we turned towards the door to leave. It was odd to hear her being so assertive. I guess there were some remnants of last night still in her system. I could hear Jake storming up to the house. He was finally back and ready to raise Hell.

_Great, Jake's back and he is pissed, _I thought to Nema so that she could brace herself for whatever he was going to throw at us. Although most of his anger was directed at Seth and Rasika, he was still willing to make the rest of us feel like shit.

"Seth! Rasika! Wake your asses up and get down here now! We have some shit to talk about!" I heard him yell from the stairs. I heard Ras and Seth jump up at his screams and throw on clothes as fast as they could. Nema and I shook our heads at each other as our mates ran out of our bedrooms and went downstairs to see what Jake wanted. I went ahead and went downstairs to the first floor because I knew Jake would want to yell at me, too. I might even let him. We kind of deserved it. "Did you guys sleep well last night?" Jake asked with forced sweetness, which only further showed how infuriated he really was. "I didn't manage to sleep well at all because I was busy being beaten with books and bookcases and nightstands while you two sacks of shit fucked all night! What you did was unacceptable. You stabbed your alpha in the back! I cannot believe you brought her here, Seth! You're supposed to be my friend, but you brought her back just so that you could get laid!" He had started yelling again and I walked up to Rasika, wrapping my arms around her waist and rested my head in between her shoulders. I was quickly becoming angry and I didn't want to attack Jake if I didn't have to, but he was starting to get on my nerves. I could see that Nema had grabbed Seth's hand for comfort as well. She was not the type to be okay during a confrontation. She truly didn't like them.

"I don't get it, Seth. She puts you up on this pedestal like you are fucking God's gift to this planet but you are just a backstabbing, judgmental little prick! Rasika, I don't really know you. You took it upon yourself to join my pack because God forbid Sam puts you in your place. I'm starting to see where he was coming from. You aren't worth the Uley blood that runs in your veins. It's wasted on you. You and Antonia were made for each other. You're both nothing but selfish bitches!" He rounded back on Seth but I was seeing red. He had no right to call Rasika's parentage into question. Everyone knew that was a sore subject for her. Even Seth didn't deserve what was said. Damn it, he was my brother thanks to Nema. Before I could really stop myself I had sent Jake flying into the fire place. I heard the satisfying crack of his ribs breaking against the stone mantle. "How was that for a selfish bitch," I asked him as I stalked closer to him. "Don't you ever say those things to them ever again. Rasika is a better wolf than most and she did it on her own without any of you there to help her through the change, and Seth is the most generous and kindest person I know so back off, you disrespectful bastard," I told him with malice dripping from my voice. I turned on my heel and went upstairs to start checking the walls so that I could repair them. Right after I had checked the walls I heard Ness walk into the house. I made my way down the stairs to her thoughts.

_Oh my God what happened to him? He can't still be on the mend from last night. There's no way I hurt him that bad, is there? _

"I was just training the dog. You didn't hurt him that bad," I told Ness as I crossed the room to Rasika. Everyone just stopped and stared at me in silence until Quil piped up from the doorway to the kitchen.

"Damn, if that's how you train your dogs, Rasika you can keep her," he said as he started laughing.

"She can train Jake all day, but if she tries to train me that way she's going to be the one sleeping outside in the bloody dirt." I knew Rasika well enough to know that it was partly a joke partly a threat. She really would put me out if I pulled that kind of stunt with her. I leaned up and kissed her jaw before turning to Ness.

"Can you explain what you did last night because that walking sinus condition's memories were buried so deep I almost couldn't find them, and it was like she came up with the idea all on her own, too?"I asked Ness, really curious about what she had done to Kelly the night before.

**Ness's Pov **

Everyone was staring at me now, waiting for me to explain. I had hoped that what I had done to Kelly would have gone unnoticed, but I should have known that Antonia would notice something. They were waiting expectantly, and I knew that I couldn't just talk around it, especially with Antonia around. I swear it was like living with my dad all over again.

"You know that all vampires have the power to temporarily make humans lose their train of thought. My family calls it dazzling." I watched them all nod. "What I can do is kind of like that but more in depth. Through some research, I've found that it's called compelling."

"You mean like the stuff the vampires do in the movies where the humans are their minions?" Quil asked.

"Kind of like that but more realistically so," I told him.

Seth's face was scrunched in concentration. "How did you find out you could do this?"

"Well, Dylan and Mya, my friends from Jacksonville, decided to set me up on some date. I was in no mindset to be dating, so I decided to dazzle the guys when they tried to kiss me or hold my hand. The first time I did it, I looked into the guy's eyes and all of a sudden they were glazed and blank. I thought that maybe this was a part of dazzling, so I continued, telling him that I really didn't feel like dating and that it was a bad idea. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, his eyes snapped back and he told me that he could tell that I wasn't ready to date and that it was a bad call that Dyl and Mya had to force me. I couldn't figure out what had happened, and I knew that it wasn't dazzling. I'd seen my family do it and nothing like that had ever occurred. I didn't think too much about it, because I was scared of my own ability and I had vowed never to do that again. But that vow was broken soon after I had made it. Blind date number two came around, and he was a sweet guy and just wanted to talk to me and I said something that I didn't want him to know. He was looking into my eyes and I told him to forget that I'd said that, not really trying to dazzle him, but he got the same glassy look in his eyes. The guy looked at me and asked me what I wanted him to forget, and oddly enough he hadn't remembered the last few minutes of the conversation. Having this happen twice, I decided to do some research. I found books and websites about vampires with the power to compel. Though a lot of it was Hollywood's dramatized version of it, it was very similar to what I had done."

"It sounds like you were an amateur at it, yet what we saw from Toni looked like you knew exactly what you were capable of," Nema stated.

I nodded. "I do. After my research, and my friends' constant insistence on double dating, I began to practice and experiment on my dates."

"So what is it exactly that you can do and how does it work?" Antonia asked.

"Well, I can erase a person's memory, like you saw with the nasally slut. As I'm sure you know, it won't completely be gone, but just hidden so deep it will never be recovered. I can implant memories as well, telling someone something so vividly that they believe it and remember it as well. My other gift comes in handy there as well. I can use my thoughts to show things and not just my words. Also, as Quil has pointed out, I can persuade people to do what I say. It won't come across like in the movies when it's an entranced state and all they walk around saying is whatever I tell them. My ability to compel comes across as more of a suggestion that they then take over as their own.

"As for how it works, it doesn't take much concentration on my end to make the connection. The connection only consists of eye contact. It doesn't have to be a lengthy amount of time either. Just a second…a glance in my direction when I want to compel you and the connection is made, and as far as I know, there's no way to escape it once it happens."

"I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this," Rasika said.

"I can demonstrate," I offered. I looked around the room, singling out Quil.

"Quil," I called his name and he looked at me without thinking about it. As soon as his eyes aligned with mine I could feel the inner decision that I had to make in order to keep the connection between us. I could either leave the power dormant or I could "flip the switch", igniting the trance-like state. I could feel the power surging through my body when I made the decision to control Quil. "I think that you should sing _I'm a little Tea Pot_ and do the dance as well. When you're done you're not going to remember what happened."

I blinked, breaking our connection and "flipping the switch" off in my mind. The entire room was quiet and Quil was smiling. "You guys know what song has been stuck in my head forever?"

"What song, Quil?" Embry asked, smiling with anticipation.

"_I'm a Little Tea Pot."_ He began belting out the words to the song and giving a complete performance with all of the motions to go with the words. No one could contain their laughter at this point. As Quil's song came to a close and he tilted over and poured himself out, we waited to see what would happen next – still laughing at the sight we had just seen. He sat down with a look of complete confusion on his face. "What the Hell are you guys laughing at? Aren't we supposed to be waiting on Nessie's demonstration?"

Seth managed to get a hold on himself enough to ask, "Dude, you honestly don't remember?"

"Remember what?" Quil asked.

"Amazing," Antonia commented in wonderment. "It's there, I've seen it, but it's buried so far there's no way he'll find it."

"Actually…" I said slowly. "There is a way he can find it." There was no need to call his name, because he was already looking at me. I flipped the switch in my mind and saw his eyes go blank as I began to speak. "Don't you remember the little tea pot?" While I asked this question, I replayed a false scene of him tea pot dancing naked that I projected into his mind. I cut the connection and Quil looked completely embarrassed.

"Nessie! No fair! You made me dance naked. I can't believe you!" he exclaimed as his face flushed bright red with embarrassment and instinctively covering his manhood though he was fully clothed. I had never seen one of the wolves blush that noticeably before. He reminded me of a Christmas ornament at that moment.

"Serves you right for standing in the hall last night," Rasika joked.

Antonia looked astonished. "He can't even recognize that it's a false memory. Being in your head while you go into compelling someone…The complete inner workings of your brain are centered on that person. You are subconsciously connected without even realizing it. And last night I thought you were bad ass…"

"Thanks. I've always wanted a bad ass status."

When she talked of last night she reminded me that Jacob was still in the room. He had finished mending and sat up, watching Quil's little show in silence. He was staring at me, but I couldn't bring myself to look at him eye to eye. I felt bad for what I did, but looking at him now, I could see that he was a completely different person now.

_Try a complete ass,_ Antonia interrupted my thoughts.

I laughed out loud and everyone looked at me questioningly. I shook my head, and Nema began speaking to the group then. "Okay, guys, we really need to clean this house. I think the first floor is the only floor that is still in one piece for the most part. The third floor will need the most work though."

I could feel the blush creeping up my face. Though I knew Nema would never point a finger and directly blame me, we all knew who had caused the damage up there. "I'm so sorry about that," I was saying to Nema, but I was looking in Jacob's direction. He looked up at me then, his body was stiff and his mouth a tight line. He looked so angry, but his anger was sexy. I was so mixed up. Never had I ever wanted to pick up the nearest thing and throw it and grovel, begging for forgiveness to ease his pain all at the same time. "I don't know what came over me. I was completely out of control."

"Don't apologize. It ruins your image," Embry jumped in, breaking me of my assessment of Jacob.

I rolled my eyes at Embry. "You said that the third floor has the _most_ damage. What happened on the second floor?" I asked, remembering what Nema had said.

"Yeah, kitten, care to explain?" Antonia smiled deviously and I felt that I was completely missing an inside joke. Nema didn't answer, but I managed to see a faint blush under her dark skin. "What about you, tiger? Cat got your tongue?"

Seth was blushing too, but under his breath he remarked, "No, but it will later." He was staring at Nema meaningfully and she shivered.

I groaned. "Never mind, forget that I asked. Suddenly I don't even want to know anymore."

Finally Nema found her voice as she stood. "So are we all ready to go upstairs and get to work? I've divided up the tasks and if we all pitch in, this can be finished within a few days."

Quil stood, stretching. "Well, it's time for me to go. I'm going to hang out with Claire for –"

"Quil, you live here too. It's only fair that you help us clean. We all played a part in this and we should help," Nema stated calmly.

"I didn't have crazy superhuman sex and break anything, and the last time I checked, Claire was just a human with no power to create a balcony on the third floor."

"Don't make me compel you. You never know, I could make you clean the entire house alone." I raised an eyebrow, daring him to challenge me.

He cursed under his breath and we all made our way upstairs, only to be stopped when Rasika realized that Embry was trying to get out the door. When we all looked at him, he said, "Hey, I don't live here, and I didn't play a part in anything."

"Did you enjoy the show last night, you creepy peeping Tom?" Nema asked him, and I couldn't be more confused. "Well, there's a price for the show. You clean with the rest of us," she directed authoritatively.

I had never heard Nema give orders but today she was like a passive drill sergeant…if such a thing existed. We all went upstairs. The others were joking and laughing while Jake and I were completely quiet. I felt the pull that was nagging at me to touch Jacob, but my mind was also still reeling from what he had done in that room, and my brain was nagging at me to punch Jacob.

Once we arrived at the room, I was astonished by the amount of damaged I had caused. Just from looking, I was surprised that Jacob was up and walking around now. There was nothing that resembled furniture in the room and there was carnage everywhere. I had really destroyed this place. There was a book stuck in the wall, shards of glass all over the floor along with bits of furniture, and large holes in the walls. Nema delegated duties and most of us were on clean up and sifting through items that we could keep, which was easy on the third floor because there was nothing even recognizable so it was all trashed, while Antonia's job was dry walling.

We worked for hours, and finally the cleaning was done and the walls were almost fixed. We would have to work on the "balcony" and everything else later. Everyone was getting hungry, and I knew that I had promised Charlie that I would come by for dinner, so I invited them along – after checking with Charlie first, of course. Quil and Embry declined. Quil wanted to see Claire and Embry had a date with his girlfriend, Julie.

As we were all in the living room getting ready to go, Seth called me over away from the group. "I've been volunteered to be the messenger once again," he said with reluctance.

"The messenger about what?"

"As you know there aren't any more rooms in this house." He paused, gauging my reaction. I just nodded. "If you want to stay here, instead of alone in the cottage…we can't just put Jake out and it won't be fair to tell you that you can't stay either. Nema decided that you two have to share the room. It's big enough to divide in half, so I'm sure you can make it work."

"What? Make it work? Seth, you know what he did!"

"Ness, calm down." He put both hands on my shoulders, looking into my eyes, pleading. "I know you can do this. I'll help you through it like I promised." Seth hugged me reassuringly.

"Fine, Seth, but if someone dies, the blood is on your hands, okay?"

I left him standing there and walked out the door to Nema's car. I was in awe, but not surprised that Dad would do something so nice for her and for Rasika. I got into the car with her and Seth, and of course Jake joined Antonia and Rasika. Even if he wasn't on the greatest terms with them, he'd rather be trapped in the confines of a car with the two girls than in a backseat with me. Dinner at Charlie's would definitely be interesting tonight. I could already tell.

**Leah's POV**

"Great, just great! They are _all_ going to be there," I mumbled as Jamie drove us over to Charlie's for dinner.

"Baby, you can't hold a grudge against them forever." I shot him an annoyed glance and he started to back track. "I'm not defending Jacob, but I'm just saying you know the reason for all of this."

Since Jake had been a complete ass to me, I had only spoken to him when it was necessary. I knew that he was that way toward everyone, but I deserved more respect than what he was showing me. Knowing that Nessie would be there, too, also made me nervous. Jake blamed me for the reason they weren't together and I wondered if she did too. On top of that drama, I wasn't too thrilled to have Rasika and her imprint around either. If she tried to take a snap at Jamie, Mom, or Charlie, I'd be the first in line to snap her pretty little neck and Rasika's too if she wanted to involve herself. There was a silver lining to this train wreck that they were calling "family" dinner though. I got to see Nema and my brother. I hadn't seen Nema in weeks, and I'd only seen Seth when there was pack business to attend to.

We arrived at Charlie's around the same time that the rest of them did. When we got out of the car, I saw Nema, Seth and Nessie step out, waiting to greet us. I hugged Nema and Seth, mussing his hair the way he hates, as if he were still my fourteen year old little brother. Nessie was the last in the line of warm welcomes. She was hesitant and not smiling.

Nessie looked away from me and over at Jamie. "This must be Jamie," she said politely and I could tell it was a cover up. "I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you before, but I'm Renesmee." She shook his hand and Jamie told her it was nice to meet her.

"Do you mind if Leah and I talk for a few minutes before we come in and join everyone?" she asked, still full of fake niceties.

Jamie looked at me for assurance and I nodded, letting him know that everything was fine. He walked into the house followed by the other three that I knew I wouldn't be receiving warm welcomes from. I gave a stiff nod in their direction as Jake, Antonia, and Rasika walked up the stairs.

When Ness and I were finally alone, I said, "I really want to apologize if I set the break up in motion between you and Jake." I wanted to get that out there first, because Nessie over the years had become a friend to me and her opinion of me mattered.

"Leah, I don't blame you for any of this. That's what I wanted to tell you. Yes, your call set it in motion, but it was a path we were already on. Yes, I thought your reasoning was a little selfish as well, but after all, your happiness matters more than mine." That was a low blow, and she had managed to deliver it in such a nice manner that if I wasn't paying attention I wouldn't have noticed the bitter undertone.

"That's not all I was thinking about, Ness –"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. The bottom line is it's not your fault. Jake wanted to go home and at the time I just couldn't. Your phone call just gave me the reason I needed to see that he needed to be home. I'm not mad at you. Sometimes I just wish things had gone a bit differently, and if it's anyone's fault it's my own," she admitted genuinely.

"I'm sure you two will find – "

"Let's not talk about Jake and me. There's no point, right?" she interrupted. _What was with her interrupting my sentences? _She laced her arm through mine and we walked up the stairs to the front door. "Tonight should just be about family and friends getting together for a night of fun." She put on a fake smile, pretending the Jake situation didn't bother her and entered the room.

Upon entering the house, Ness greeted Charlie and Mom with hugs and so did I. I could already smell the delicious scents coming from the kitchen and I saw that my pack brothers – and sister – as well as their imprints and Jamie were already gathered around the table. Charlie long ago had wisely made the decision to ditch the small kitchen table he had had for a much larger one that would accommodate such a large family that he had gained through his marriage to my mom. I took my seat beside Jamie. Nema and Ness were to the left of me, Charlie and Mom were at the head of each end of the table, and Seth, Jake, Rasika and Antonia were across from us. The introductions of the _other_ she-wolf and her imprint had been made while I was outside with Ness. Mom had directed us to help ourselves, and once the fight for who was first to get their food was over – with me winning because I was ruthless with a fork – the chatter around the table started.

"Sue, the fish is amazing," Nema commented politely.

"Thanks, Nema. I'm pretty sure you could've done a better job than I have. Seth's always raving about your skills in the kitchen," Mom replied.

"Mom, you're being modest. I love your cooking," Seth told her. "I think even Charlie could do a better job cooking fish than Toni though. She just pokes it until it's unrecognizable."

"Well you certainly enjoyed my breakfast this morning, tiger," Antonia winked suggestively at Seth.

"Eww! Eww! Please!" I burst out instinctively. I knew what she was referring to, thanks to Quil and Embry. "You guys act like such horny teenagers, but you don't even have much space to rag on the little tiger over there."

"Please, like you and Jamie aren't in La Push going at it like jackrabbits. I'm surprised nobody has had to come and fix your walls," she threw back at me. Then looking at Nema, she said, "Oh, by the way, I can get to your wall tomorrow. It's going to be easy, but I'm going to have to repaint the wall to cover the gouges your nails made." Nema started to choke on a piece of fish, and Charlie turned beat red at this new information.

"What in the hell kind of house are you living in over there? Nessie, I want you out of there. Breaking down walls and things, that's trouble waiting to happen. I believe staying with me and Sue is what's best for you," Charlie lectured.

Nessie's eyes got wide with doe- like innocence. "Grandpa, I didn't take part in any of that. I was here last night," she defended and all I could do was laugh. This conversation was taking a very humorous turn.

At this Antonia smiled and asked, "So, Ness, did you enjoy your closet sex with Jake in Florida?" Nessie blushed and seemed to instinctively look at Jake, who for the briefest moment caught her gaze with a hint of a smile that was gone just as fast as it had come.

Charlie was sputtering over his words. It was mixture of curses and threats to Jake's life as Rasika commented, "Don't knock it. Closet sex is fun."

Charlie finally got a hold of himself long enough to say something intelligible. "Could we all just stop saying the word sex?" he yelled.

There was a chorus of "sorry", but Antonia, to Charlie's dismay, said, "What's wrong with it? Everyone here is having it." I felt sorry for Charlie. The poor guy looked like he was going to have a heart attack.

Nema cleared her throat. "Toni, talking about se-" She stopped and looked at Charlie. "Talking about…relations isn't generally dinner table talk."

"Especially not in front of their Grandparents," Nessie added, looking angry.

"But they do it, too! You should've seen what those two were thinking about when we walked in the door!" Antonia exclaimed. Rasika and Nema tried to kick her under the table, but she slid her chair back and they ended up kicking each other.

Charlie raised his hands as if in surrender and said, "Need to know basis, need to know!"

Mom's cheeks were flushed as she suddenly gained an interest in the beans on her plate. "Whoa! Too much information!" I yelled, not ever wanting to have to think of what my mom and Charlie do when we're not around.

"Seriously, Toni! Keep that to yourself, _please_," Seth chimed in.

"I didn't like seeing it anymore than you liked hearing about it," Antonia told us.

"So, Jake, how about them Lakers?" Jamie asked, finally joining the conversation.

Everybody stopped and looked at Jamie, as if realizing for the first time that he was there. "You've got the wrong guy for basketball talk. Now if –"

"Jake doesn't care about anything anymore besides getting drunk and having sex with annoying…what's her face," I shot at Jake.

At that moment, I wished I could take it back because Nessie's face scrunched revealing how hurt she was and she broke the glass that she had been holding. Charlie rushed over to examine the cut that we all knew wouldn't be there, but she just held up a hand to stop him. "Need to know, Grandpa. Need to know," she cautioned.

"Nice going, Leah," Rasika mumbled.

"I'm sorry. I didn't quite hear that, _Ras_, are you talking to me?" I sneered.

"I _said_ way to go, Leah. You need me to spell it out for you?" she added condescendingly, only managing to fuel my anger.

"Do I need to spell out to _you_ what your place is? You are only here because someone felt sorry for you. No one really gives two shits about you, Rasika." My eyes followed Antonia's as she stared at Nema, who appeared to be calming her down.

"Leah, what is your problem with me?" Rasika asked.

"Really? Seriously? All of a sudden you're the victim now. You know, I shouldn't be surprised. It's what you're good at! We are in a fucking war with the Volturi and all you, being the self obsessed bitch that you are, are worried about is whose pack _you're_ going to join because _your _imprint was on the opposing side trying to kill _us_ while _we_ are fighting for our damn lives to protect _our_ people. But you don't give a shit about our people because you don't consider yourself one of us. Well, Rasika, we agree on one thing. I don't consider you one of us either, and if I had been Alpha of this pack I would have never allowed you to join us in the first place."

Jacob had been calling my name all throughout my explanation, but I refused go unheard. She had asked for it, and finally I had given her an ear full instead of biting my tongue or skillfully avoiding her. "Rasika, don't even dignify her with a response. Shut up, the both of you. Outside, now! We are fixing this tonight!" Jacob had commanded, using his Alpha voice. We were both rendered powerless to speak and weighed down heavily with the orders Jake had set upon us.

**Rasika's Pov**

I stood up, still staring daggers at Leah, to follow Jake outside. She was such a bitch. I saw Jamie get up to follow Leah and felt Toni grab my hand to follow me as we made our way out onto the front porch. She was still shaking with rage. Everyone had pretty much forgiven Toni for the fight, or so I thought. I couldn't believe Leah had said that. She was correct; of course, I didn't consider myself to be a Quileute. I had never exactly received a warm welcome from anyone except Emily. I couldn't help what I was. My father had run off and left Sam's mother when Sam was just a baby and he thought that flying thousands of miles would be enough distance to get away from the responsibilities of a family. Unfortunately for him all it helped him to do was start another, which he left even quicker than the first. The difference was that he had occasionally talked to Sam while he was growing up. I had never even known who he was. Jacob snapped me out of it as he reprimanded Leah.

"Leah, that was uncalled for and completely inappropriate. Not only did you embarrass yourself, you disgraced this pack. Rasika is our sister and as much a member of this pack as you or Seth or even me. If she doesn't consider herself a Quileute, it's because of people like you and Sam reminding her that she isn't all the damn time!" Jacob told her harshly. It was the first time I had ever heard Jake defend me or call me his sister. "Now what do the two of you have to say for yourselves?" Jake asked us. We were still under the weight of his alpha order and we couldn't speak.

"What the Hell? Now that nobody's out here to listen to the two of you so you don't want to say anything?" Jake asked clearly not remembering he had told us to shut up. Thank God for telepaths.

"Jacob, you told them not to talk, remember? They can't answer you," Toni told him calmly. She had calmed down noticeably since we had been standing outside.

"Oh, right, sorry about that. You can talk." The order was removed and I felt its weight lift from my shoulders.

"I truly have no idea what my problem with Leah is, she just rubs me the wrong way. I admit I can be more competitive with her than with the others, but she always takes it the wrong way. If I beat her in a foot race or try to goad her into a wrestling match she usually just bites me in retaliation. I understand that I am at the bottom of this pack because I was the last to join. Hell, Jake, I was the bottom of Sam's pack too, but nobody else seems to have the problems with me that Leah has," I growled out clearly frustrated.

"Okay, Leah, your turn." Jake crossed his arms and waited for Leah's explanation.

"This is ridiculous. Am I the only one who remembers what her imprint is?" Leah hissed. I didn't like where this was going. I didn't see it ending well. She continued undaunted. I felt Toni's hand tighten around mine. "She is a vampire and before you say it, Jake, she isn't the same as Nessie or Nema. She is no cookie cutter variety. She's the real deal. There is no telling how many people she's drained in her lifetime. Jake, you have too much sympathy for them," Leah hissed at Jacob before turning to me. I was so angry I started to shake. I could've ripped her apart, but she turned to me to continue. "Rasika, I am warning you now, you had better pay close attention to her because if she bites one person I am going to rip her head off that pretty little body you enjoy so much, and I'll kill you to get to her if that's what it takes," Leah finished. I was shaking violently, my body wanting nothing more than to make the change to my wolf form.

_Rasika, you can't phase here, there are too many people around._ I heard Toni's panicked thoughts rush into my mind. Somewhere deep in the back of my consciousness I knew she was right. I heard Leah telling Jamie to go in the house and her calling for Seth to come. I was still vibrating with the effort of not phasing.

_Toni, get away from me,_ I thought to her. I couldn't live with myself if I mauled her. She let go of my hand. I thought she was going to back away and go into the house, but instead she curled herself into me wrapping her arms securely around my waist. I tried to pull her off, but she had an iron hold on me. For the first time since I had imprinted on her I wished she was human just so that I would have been able to separate her from me.

_Stop fighting me. Concentrate on my arms, my scent. You would never hurt me. You can't._ She was so confident in my control- more than I was. I was seconds from having Jake and Seth drag her away when I noticed that I was calming down. I had stopped shaking and the phasing was a nagging sensation in my mind not a need screaming at me. It worked, but damn it had been dangerous. She grinned up at me wickedly. _I told you that you couldn't hurt me._ We would talk more about her methods later, but for now I was going to kick Leah's ass. Seeing that the damage had been avoided Jake turned back to Leah.

"Again, that was uncalled for. You know that imprints are strictly off limits. I shouldn't need to remind you of that. Are those the only problems you have?" Jake asked through gritted teeth. He would probably really let her have it once they were both in wolf form later.

"Yes," Leah replied clearly pissed that Jake didn't see her way.

"There's another problem, Jake," Toni spoke up finally withdrawing herself from me and standing in front of Jake.

"Please, Toni, enlighten us. For once I am glad to have your gift around." Jake was being absolutely serious about Toni's gift. He usually hated it. Things changed when they served a purpose, I guess.

"They both have another problem with each other, but neither of them realizes it. It's a subconscious problem. They both want to be the alpha female in the pack. Females are generally more territorial than males. Leah was the first she- wolf in the pack and so when Rasika showed up she began to feel threatened. Ras doesn't help. She constantly goads her and tries to prove that she is superior as often as possible." She shot me a look that dared me to prove her wrong, but she had a point the more I thought about it. "That's all it is. They both want to be above the other. I think that is a problem that you as the Alpha need to address." Toni took my keys to the Vanquish and motioned toward the car.

_I'm driving home._ I heard her thoughts and immediately went to the passenger's side. I heard her explaining to Charlie and Sue that in light of my argument with Leah we were going to head home. She thanked them and apologized if she had disrespected them with the conversation at dinner. She jumped in the driver's seat only minutes later. The drive to the house was quick; Toni never drove the speed limit. Plus she had the same built in radar detector that Edward did so no blemishes on her driving record.

She pulled the car into my spot in the garage next to Ness's car. She looked longingly at the spot next to my car. _When will your car and motorcycle arrive from Italy?_ I asked her as we leaned back and looked at each other.

_Tomorrow._ I could see the excitement even in her thoughts. She had missed tinkering in the garage at Volterra. She poured over my Vanquish and even Nema's Volante but she didn't get the same gratification that I think she would get from her own car. It was incredible. I had watched her tune my car and she had very skilled hands. She was just as happy under the hood of a car as she was with her violin in her hands. _Let's go for a run. I don't want to be home tonight. I just want it to be the two of us._ I smiled at her thoughts and followed her into the forest before I took off my clothes and phased so that I could keep up with her. We ran for a long time until Toni caught the scent of some deer in the area and moved in for the hunt. It was going to be a long night. Watching Toni hunt was a very sensual experience. I shivered knowingly as I phased back to my human form, not bothering with the clothes I had brought. I wondered if Jake and Seth felt the same pull toward Nema and Ness when they went hunting together. I smiled warmly as I watched Toni drain a large buck. She was getting better at hunting animals. She wasn't as messy anymore. I was curious about what Jake would do about mine and Leah's apparent desires to best each other. I wasn't sure what he should do because it was a difficult situation with a number of possibilities. We would find out at the pack meeting tomorrow I supposed.

**Ness's Pov **

Dinner had completely exploded in my face. I was worried about Jacob and me not getting along, but we weren't even an issue. Leah and Rasika took the cake, and Jacob was outside handling the issue right now. Jamie walked back inside, looking completely frazzled by all the supernatural events that had occurred tonight.

"How are you holding up, Jamie?" I asked him.

"Okay, I guess. They're not going to fight, are they? I don't know if I could handle watching her without getting involved," he admitted, looking down at his feet.

This I took seriously. "Listen to me clearly, okay. Don't you dare get involved. I know that your instincts are screaming for you to protect Leah, but you can't. She can hold her own, believe me. Jake won't let there be a fight. That I know already." I had so much faith in Alpha Jake, even if my imprinted Jake had lost all of my faith.

"I guess you're right," he conceded. As soon as he had said it, Leah was yelling for him so that they could leave. He hugged me. "Will you apologize to Sue and Charlie for us?"

"Of course." I smiled as he trotted out the door. I went to find Nema, Sue and Charlie in the kitchen. Seth was outside with Jake. "Grandpa, Sue, I'm so sorry for how all this turned out. I thought it was a good idea, getting together as a family, but it was a huge mistake."

"It's okay, darling." He pulled me to him for a hug. "I'm just glad to have you back." Grandpa placed a kiss on my forehead.

"Sue, can you ever forgive me for this disaster?" I asked, hoping for her forgiveness as well.

She laughed. "Ness, I'm used to this. I lived with Leah, remember? The pack was at my house just as much as they were at Emily and Sam's. This is nothing for me. Charlie is the only one that shies away from it." She hugged me as well.

After that, Antonia came in and apologized for the inappropriate dinner conversation and the general disaster that it had become. She also thanked them for having us over, and that was the first time since I had met her that she seemed apologetic. She broke Jake's ribs again and didn't seem apologetic at all, yet I broke his nose, separated his shoulder, and broke some ribs and I felt completely horrible about it. It had to just be personal feelings for Jacob that made her unapologetic, because with Charlie and Sue she seemed like a completely different person.

Seth then came into the house to hug his mother, and he grabbed Nema's hand and looked at us both. "You two ready to go?"

Nema nodded, and I said, "Goodbye, Grandpa, Sue. It's been…interesting."

"I would say that we have to do this again sometime, but I'm afraid that someone wouldn't make it to the end of dinner alive," Charlie joked. He grabbed my arm to stop me from walking out the door and whispered, "You sure you want to go back to that house? You know we don't mind you staying here."

I laughed. "I'll be fine, Grandpa. I'll call you tomorrow."

We walked out to the car, only to find Jake with his hands in his pocket, looking unsure of himself beside it. "Rasika and Toni took off. You guys mind if I catch a ride back with you…or I could just run back…" he trailed off.

"Nonsense, Jake, of course you can ride back. But I do have to warn you that this car is my baby, so could you and Ness please try not to break it?"

He raised his right hand and smiled at Nema. "I give you my word that I'll be on my best behavior. Besides, Nema, it wasn't me that demolished your house in the first place. You have to point the blame somewhere else for that one."

My eyes met his and my anger slightly flared. "Oh my God! How can you sit there and blame me for something that _you _caused?"

"I caused, Renesmee? _Me?_ You set this in motion, so don't even start the innocent act now," he replied harshly.

"Enough!" Seth yelled. "Unless you two want to walk back, I suggest you sit in the backseat and shut up!"

I climbed into the back seat, folded my arms and crossed my legs. The drive home was silent. Seth was driving with one hand and holding Nema's hand with the other. I stared out the window for most of the ride, but the pull was so strong. Jacob was right there, exactly twenty-five inches away from me. My mind was screaming to touch his face, smooth his frown lines, but I couldn't. I refused and it was clear that he had refused too. We sat like that, stubborn and arms folded, for the fifteen minutes it took to get back home. Jacob practically jumped out of the car.

Nema stopped us from walking inside, and the sympathetic smile that she always had around me was in place. "I know you don't have a bed, but we stored Alice and Jasper's in the cottage or you could just bring yours up if you want."

I smiled back at her but I knew there was no way I would be sleeping on my old bed. The last time I was in it Jacob and I were a tangle of bodies, having sex for the first time. I wouldn't be able to look at that bed without memories flooding back to me.

"Okay, great. I'll go over and get it," I told her.

Seth cleared his throat and Jacob said, "Fine, I'll help since we're sharing the room."

I walked over ahead of him and soon we were in the cottage, feeling like we had been sent back in time. I smiled remembering breakfast in the kitchen, Mom cooking, Dad cooking and even Jacob cooking. We danced in the living room and down the hall and to the right was where we first had sex. There was no way I could go into that room. The bed was in the hall and I could've handled it effortlessly, but Jacob was on the other side helping.

"I don't see why you're here. I could've gotten it myself." I really didn't want him intruding on my memories here. Just that fact that he was standing in this perfectly untainted room of memories was enough to taint them in my mind.

"Seth asked me to help you so I'm helping," he replied as he backed into the wall.

"Why can't you watch where you're going?"

"You don't tell me what to do anymore. Imprinting means nothing to me now. I don't have to do what you say." His words stung. They hit me straight in the heart. I blinked a few times, trying not to reveal any tears.

"That goes both ways. You don't mean anything to me either," I lied, my voice only a whisper.

We didn't talk the rest of the way back to the house, nor did we say a word to one another after we had gotten the bed into the room. After my shower, I called my parents while Jacob showered. When he was done, I had ended my phone call and was sitting up reading a book. He made a move to climb into the bed. "What are you doing?"

"Getting into bed so I can go to sleep." He looked at me as if I was insane for asking him the question.

"No, Hell no, you are not! Dogs sleep on the floor, and I'm not making a joke about your ability to turn into a giant wolf." He ignored me and continued to climb into bed. "Jacob Black, I swear to God, if you get into this bed I will kill you with my bare hands! And you know I have the ability to do it!" I yelled.

He stood then, looking me square in the eyes and he was void of any emotion other than anger and so was I. "Why in the Hell are you here? To make my life a living hell? I was fine before you came back here!"

"I came back for my friends and family. At least _they_ wanted me here."

Jacob laughed darkly. "Give me a fucking break. They didn't care about you, little naïve Renesmee. The only thing they wanted you back here to do is get rid of Kelly. They were sex deprived and you were the only one who could fix it. Did you not notice that they had sex while we were fighting? As soon as Kelly left they didn't give you a second thought."

"Sure, Antonia and Rasika, maybe, but Seth wouldn't do that. We're best friends."

"I hate to tell you this, but Seth doesn't deserve the pedestal you put him on. Don't you ever wonder why they hadn't come until now? He had so many opportunities to come, since he was so worried about you. But it took me moving in and bringing Kelly over to get him to come. Oh and it wasn't even his idea to go get you. It was Antonia's. You may think your bond with Seth is different but it's not. The only person who cared about you back then was me. I was the one that loved you no matter what. Seth used you until he got Nema and then he didn't care if you didn't have a pot to piss in as long as he was happy. That seems to be a theme with these people, doesn't it? They are only concerned when their happiness is being affected. Do you see them caring now?"

Jacob's words had rendered me speechless and only left me to think. When we were in Florida, none of them had directly told me why they were there. I asked Seth questions that he had never answered. They just pushed and pushed until I came home, and the first thing they did while my heart felt like it was being squeezed lifeless at the sight of Jake and Kelly was have sex like nothing else mattered. Truly to them it didn't. I didn't matter to anyone anymore. I couldn't fight the tears that slid down my cheeks now. Seeing Jake with another woman hurt worse than anything, but Seth's betrayal was almost equal in magnitude.

"They knew about Kelly, too, and I bet they didn't tell you," he continued on, but I stopped him.

"Jacob, just stop…please," I begged, rushing from the room and down to the second floor to Seth and Nema's room.

I knocked and Seth answered the door. He took in my tears and asked, "Ness, what's –"

His question was cut short by my palm making contact with his face with such a force that it knocked him sideways. He held his hand to his face and Nema made a move to come forward, but I stopped her. "Nema, this is between me and Seth. Unless you want to involve yourself in this matter, I suggest you move back before I give you no choice."

She looked at Seth and he nodded that it was okay. "What was that for?" he asked as he rubbed his face.

"You lied to me! I hate calling you selfish but I'm left with no other fucking word to describe you, Seth. You didn't care, did you? You only wanted to fuck Nema a hundred and one different ways in a night. You used me to get what you wanted and, you know, in a way that hurts more than what Jacob did. At least he didn't use me!"

"It's not completely true, Ness," he tried to explain, but his words fell short of a good explanation when he used the word completely, signifying that some part of this story was in fact correct. I was completely too pissed off to care what wasn't true.

"I don't give a damn what's true. All I know now is there is not one person in this house I can trust anymore. You, the person that I'd least expect to do some shit like this, would use me so that you can have sex. You, Seth Clearwater, are no fucking better than Jacob."

I left him standing there then, looking after me as I left. I didn't sleep in the house, I couldn't. Instead, I went to the cottage to sleep on the couch in the living room. I surrounded myself with memories of happier times when my life hadn't been so complicated, and there hadn't been so much distrust floating through it. I worried about little things that now I would happily take as opposed to this situation. I knew that Seth and I would probably end up talking out our differences, but I wasn't sure where I would go from there. Being here was worse than being in Florida, because here these people could hurt me. They could pound my heart to a pulp, and slowly they were working on it - with Jake as the lead hammer man pounding away.

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><p><strong>Well...What did ya think? It got a bit intense! We hope you enjoyed it! Claire is coming in chapter 7! <strong>


	8. Chapter 8

****Important Note from this chapter on: We accelerated Claire's age to 16 for the purposes of the plot within the story.****

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: The proverbial shit has hit the fan<strong>

**Seth's POV**

Last night was honestly one of the worst nights of my life. After Ness had said what she said, I couldn't sleep. I was no better than Jacob? Had I hurt her just as much? She was completely off base there because I wanted her to come back. I called her every day, but she never picked up the phone to answer. Nema and I had had a lengthy conversation last night about the whole thing, and she felt horrible about it too.

_I sat at the foot of the bed for a good hour just staring at the patterns on the floor. Nema had let me be because she knew what Nessie meant to me and what her words had done to me._

"_It's not true…what she said," Nema began in a whisper. "You are better than Jacob. The two of you can't even compare."_

"_That's because you're my imprint. I would never leave you or hurt you, but to Ness it's different. I was supposed to be her best friend, the one she could trust never to hurt her. I fucked up and did the one thing that Jake had done to Ness with Kelly. I betrayed her trust. I only went to Florida when sex with you was in jeopardy. Nema, don't you see why she's hurting?" I asked her, feeling the pain of Ness's words come at me like a slap in the face once again._

_She came and sat at the foot of the bed with me, wrapping her arms around my waist and laying her head on my shoulder. "Yes, but it's not just your fault. We were all only thinking of that."_

"_No one else mattered. I was the one she was counting on. I don't think I'll be able to sleep until I make this right." I kissed her forehead. "You can go to bed, my lovely love. I'll join you as soon as I fix this."_

_Nema ran the back of her fingers down my cheek. "I'm not sleeping without you."_

And so, we didn't sleep because Ness never came back. It was nine a.m. and she still wasn't home. I had paced all night, and into the morning. Nema sat trying to talk me down as I got angrier, wanting to pound Jake's face in for telling her, but I knew that it wasn't his fault. I should have told her part of the reason I came to Florida. Another hour had passed and I couldn't be trapped in the confines of the house. I told Nema that I was going to the cottage to get a spare mattress for Antonia and Ras, because when they returned they would need it.

In all honesty, I went to the cottage because that's where mine and Ness's friendship began. It was where I became the messenger from her to Jake when they weren't allowed to see each other, and I was her shoulder to cry on. It was where I saw her face light up when I went behind Edward's back to let her see Jake. Going to the cottage would allow me to think of a way to fix this. I smelled Ness's scent grow stronger as I made my way there, and when I opened the door quietly, I saw her laying on the couch asleep, her hair a mess of curls strewn wildly across her face. Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself in a manner that I had seen Bella do years ago when Edward had left her. _What had Jacob and I done to her? Had we really broken her? Or maybe I had just kicked her when she was down._ I walked closer to her, brushing the hair from her face only to see tear streaks down her cheek. She had spent the night crying alone in the dark, and this time I was the cause of her tears. My heart was heavy then and I made myself snag a mattress and leave. I had a pack meeting with Jacob soon and there would definitely be more on the agenda than how to handle Ras and Leah's situation. We needed to talk about his conversation with Ness last night.

After taking the mattress to Ras and Toni's room, I went straight out the door to phase and meet everyone in the woods just beyond the house. Ras was in my head immediately. _Hey, nice of you to come back home,_ I thought to her. _Did you and Toni enjoy the alone time?_ I asked her.

_Yes, it was wonderful!_ she exclaimed, thinking about the time they had spent alone. She soon snapped back to the present. _You and Nema enjoy some of the quiet?_

I gave a wolfy laugh. _No, how could we when an episode of One Life to Live was going on upstairs? I was even brought into the drama._ I thought about what happened again and Rasika winced.

_Damn! Sorry, Seth. I'm trying here, but there's no way around it. I have to take a man card for you knowing the name of a soap opera._

_Hey! My mom watched it, it's not my fault that I would walk in and see it on._

_Yeah, sure, blame Sue. I'm sure you could tell me what Todd and Blair are up to right now._

Our playful banter was cut short because we noticed Jake had phased and was on his way to the meeting place. His thoughts were centered on getting the meeting over with. When he had made it to the spot where Ras and I were, everyone else had soon phased and was there in a few minutes time. There were still hard feelings between Rasika and Leah. I could feel it, but neither of them said a word to the other. All was quiet as we waited for our Alpha to begin the meeting.

_What happened last night at dinner was completely unnecessary and uncalled for. This pack is a family. We fight alongside each other, not _against_ each other. We protect one another, and their loved ones are a part of that. Some of you in this pack have failed to understand some key points of this family. Our people are important to us. It's not just the Quileute name and lineage we are protecting; those people that we call our people are family. If a member of this pack feels that our people aren't important, then this pack is not for you. Billy Black is worth protecting, Sue Clearwater-Swan is worth protecting, Quil Sr. is worth protecting, and Emily Uley is worth protecting. The list goes on, but these people made this pack what it is. They kept the stories of the past alive and they helped us through our transition into wolves. Rasika, you didn't get to experience that. I understand why you feel like you aren't a Quileute, but if you think for one second that they don't consider you one of us – a member of our family – you're wrong. They would fight for you. They would risk their lives for any of us, and so would I. You are my sister and I would never let anything hurt you or Antonia._ Jake was speaking like a leader – like the old Jake. He seemed to have been away, but now suddenly the Jake I knew and the Alpha I had become accustomed to was back.

Leah had scoffed when Jake said that Rasika was a member of our family and he then turned his attention to her. _It has also come to my attention that there's a misunderstanding about how this pack works. Imprints are off limits. No one touches another person's imprint without just reasoning, and by just reasoning I mean if and only if the treaty is broken will it even be considered. As your Alpha, I have to lay down a law regarding this. There will be no action against an imprint if the treaty is broken without consulting me. None of you are allowed to act on impulse without my go ahead. Is that understood?_ We had no choice but to agree. He had laid an Alpha order upon us that had to be obeyed. I couldn't be angry at him about this because this was one rule that needed to be heavily enforced.

Jake started to pace in front of use as he broached the next topic. _Thanks to Antonia, I now know what the deal is between Ras and Leah, which led me to do a lot of thinking about the future of this pack. Leah right now is my beta, and she feels threatened by Rasika. Rasika is subconsciously competing for being the "Alpha female" of the bunch so to speak. One day, the pack's ranks will be reevaluated and changed._

_What? Is this your fucking way of telling me that I won't be the beta for much longer? _Leah interrupted.

Jake was calm and collected, not reacting to Leah's outburst. _Leah, let me ask you this. Do you plan on being in the pack for an eternity? _She didn't answer. Her thoughts just went to Jamie. _Exactly. You want to grow old with him, so soon I know you plan to stop phasing. Half of this pack won't stop phasing because our imprints are immortals. In the future, this pack's rankings will be adjusted accordingly to prepare for the eternity we have ahead of us. I know that you are angry right now, but you don't want this. I know you don't want to spend the rest of your existence as a wolf. It's not the life for you and you know it. The rankings aren't changing today, but they will at some point._

_Now, ladies, you may have personal issues with each other that you probably will never solve, but you will work together when it's needed and you will protect one another and their families as if they were your own. All I ask is that when it's not necessary to be in the same space, you avoid each other because if this little stunt happens again it won't be pretty and both of you will be wolves without a pack._

_Jake, that's not fair!_ Leah yelled in her mind.

_You must not understand what you did! Charlie now isn't even in the need to know basis status anymore. After your little outburst, he asked Sue about it, and she had to tell him everything. You better hope that no one gets wind of what he knows, or it's on your head, Leah, I mean it. You know that anybody related to Bella is like a magnet for danger._

Quil jumped into the conversation, completely changing the topic. _Are we done here? I have to go pick up Claire. She's been nagging me about getting to see Nessie._

_Almost,_ Jacob told him._ I just want to say that last night I did some soul searching and I realized that I've been a complete ass to every one of you, and I want to apologize for the way I've been acting. You all know why, and I do too. _His thoughts turned to Nessie and I could feel guilt washing over him, but he regained himself quickly. _I'm not making any promises that I won't be a total ass sometimes, but I'll try to get a hold on it. Now meeting adjourned. Quil, you can go get Claire._

As soon as we had phased back, I saw that the difference in Jacob wasn't just in wolf form. He stood taller, he seemed almost sure of himself, but the sadness Jake carried with him was still there. I began walking back toward the house, smelling the breakfast Nema was cooking, when Jake stopped me.

"I feel horrible about last night," he told me.

"Why did you do it, Jake? Why break her even more than she already is?"

"We were arguing, both saying hurtful things, and I didn't want to lose the battle again. But I could tell it wasn't the same when she didn't respond with a snarky remark like she normally did when we argued. My heart completely broke when she looked up at me, crying and begging me to stop saying the things I was saying. That's what snapped me out of this…whatever it is with her. I can't do it anymore. She made the decision and we both have to live with it, but I can't hurt her anymore." Jake was sincere and honest as he said this, and I knew he meant it. No matter what he wouldn't admit, I knew he still loved her.

"I've got some apologizing to do, too," I said as I made my way over to the cottage. Jake just nodded in understanding.

When I walked in, I found Ness there on the couch watching a movie. It was _A Cinderella Story._ I knew it used to be her favorite movie, and poor Jake had to sit through it all the time. Frustrated, she ran her fingers through her curls and glared at me. "What do you want now, Seth, to kick me out of the cottage so that you can have sex with Nema here too?" she asked harshly.

I didn't say anything in reply. I just sat down beside her, grabbing her hand in mine and watching the movie with her. She sat there watching intently, and then she began to cry as Samantha got her happy ending. I pulled her into my arms and she cried on my shoulder. "I don't know what hurts more, the fact that he said all those hurtful things without seeing how much it tore me apart or that what he said was true," she cried. "I don't have anyone here that understands. It hurts so much to wake up and know that no one cares. That no one loves me enough to want me back." Ness sobbed harder and my heart was breaking. "You don't know what I went through in Florida, and I come back and not even you care about me. I thought we were supposed to be friends. You lied to me and I knew it, but I kept thinking: not Seth. He wouldn't do that to me because he wanted me to come home. First it was Leah, she called Jake and he wanted to come back but I couldn't, and we weren't right anymore. And I knew that I was ruining his life and now you come get me because Jake is ruining your sex life. What about my life? Did no one care what happened to me? Everyone wanted happiness with their imprints at the cost of my relationship and I don't know who to trust. The truth is I don't trust any of you because my life wasn't as important to you as I thought." I felt her body shaking with anger as I held her. "No matter what, I would have never done that to you and Nema. I don't care if my love with Jake was on the line. He would just have to understand that you were important, and I couldn't jeopardize your happiness for my own. I hoped it went both ways but it didn't. You didn't care about me and you were the only person that I came back for other than Jake. Yet here I am, and I'm still the one that isn't happy!" Her voice got higher pitched at the end and tapered off until the only sound she could make was sobbing sounds.

Ness's arms were crossed over her torso, trying to hold herself together but I could see that she was falling apart at the seams. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, so that I could talk, just say something to make her stop crying. She had finally let go of everything she had been bottling up, and now I wasn't sure if she would be alright. Seeing her this way scared me and broke me all the same. This wasn't the Ness I knew; the girl sitting in my lap, crying on my shoulder was small and fragile – breakable even.

"Ness, I'm so sorry," I whispered, my eyes wet with tears I couldn't fight any longer as I watched the anguish, torment, hurt and sorrow wash over this girl that I loved as if she were my own sister. "I made a mistake and it's killing me to see you this way. Never for a second did I forget about you. I called you every day, several times a day, just to hear your voice on the voice mail. It drove Nema insane how much I obsessed over you because she didn't understand why."

"You didn't come for me," she whispered. "I was _stuck_ in so much shit that you wouldn't be able to fathom! You don't know how much I needed your help, but I would never have asked any of you to go through what I went through."

Something about her words didn't make sense. The way she was speaking made it sound like this wasn't all about Jacob. "Ness, what happened in Jacksonville?"

Her arms wrapped around me tighter and her sobs were louder. I had struck a chord. "I can't…talk about it, Seth. I can't."

I let her calm down and waited until her sobs subsided before I said, "It's okay. You don't have to say anything right now. If I could do things differently, I would. You have to know that I care. Hell, Ness, I love you so much that Toni mistook it for cheating on Nema."

She laughed a little and looked up at me with sad eyes. "I forgive you," she finally told me as I hugged her tight. With those three words it felt like a heavy burden had been lifted.

**Claire's POV**

There was a knock on my door and I didn't know why I always felt so giddy that he was here. I had been hanging out in my living room with my friend Alex when Quil arrived. I jumped from the couch and ran to the door, because I was always hyper aware of his presence even before he was in eyesight.

Before I opened the door, Alex said, "Oh, let me guess, Quil is here." He was always sour about mine and Quil's friendship. Alex had thought it was unnatural for a grown man to hang around a kid for as long as Quil had.

I rolled my eyes at him and opened the door. "Quil!" I jumped into his arms and he caught me, twirling me around. There was always a certain electricity flowing from Quil to me when he touched me, but he always let me go too quickly. My mind was heady when he let me down, and in that moment my eyes met Quil's and he looked at me with such intensity that a completely sane person would have looked away. I held his gaze and then I saw Quil frown and take a few steps back.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed against his arm playfully. "I guess I'm not cool enough to hang out with anymore. Ragging on me just isn't as fun as ragging on Embry and Rasika now, I suppose," I joked.

"You know that's not true, Claire-bear." I inwardly cringed at the use of that nickname. It was like he would only see me as that young girl that he met fourteen years ago.

"Lighten up, Quil, I was joking. I have other friends too." I pointed to Alex on the couch and Quil visibly tensed.

"What are you guys doing in the house alone? Shouldn't there be some adult supervision involved? What the Hell is going on in here?" He walked over to Alex and grabbed him up from his seat by his shirt. "If you so much as touched her inappropriately, I promise you I will –"

"Quil, Quil stop! What the Hell is wrong with you? We are sixteen years old! We don't need a babysitter!" I yelled, standing there looking on in horror as he nearly attacked Alex. Quil let Alex go and as soon as his feet were on the floor, he ran from the house without another word. "What was that about?" I was in shock because Quil had never reacted that way before, and he had even hung out with me and Alex before.

He looked just as confused as I was. "I don't…I don't know what that was to be honest." I really didn't dwell too much on it. I just wanted an excuse to touch him again, so I put my hand on his arm to calm him.

"Quil, you so went ape shit crazy in the matter of seconds! I was afraid you were going to phase and completely maul him!"

He looked at me sternly. "What did I tell you about your language?"

I sighed, taking my hand away. "Yes, Father Quil. Now I know what Nessie felt like with Jacob. Not even my dad is this strict," I mumbled.

It was true. I had spent so much time around the wolves that their language and habits had rubbed off on me a bit more than my mother probably would have hoped. I was almost a tom boy in some ways, but I dressed girly. I loved sports, had been around to experience all the ragging that the guys did on each other since I was able to understand it, and sometimes I fit in so well with the wolves – and more so Quil than the rest of them. He was so perfect in every way, and so much more the complement to me than any of the guys I've dated, but I knew he wouldn't see me the way I wished he would. In his eyes, I was the kid sister he never had.

"So, Father Quil, what are we going to be doing today? Am I doing homework while you watch my every move? Or maybe you're going to take me to a church so that I can repent my sins of foul language and wild sex in the living room with Alex. Will you send me off to boarding school if I refuse to go, daddy?" I gave my best scared, innocent teenager voice.

Quil raised an eyebrow, trying hard not to laugh at my sarcastic idiocy, but before long he couldn't help himself. "Let's just go get this over with. Right now Nessie and Jacob aren't at each other's throats so it should be okay."

"I don't care what she does to Jacob. I do believe he deserves it for all the shi – stuff – he put you and the pack and Ness through."

Quil lifted my chin so that he could look into my eyes. "I gotta stop letting you hang around the guys. We are a bad influence on you."

"Please." I waved him off. "You guys aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer, so I could be influencing you while leading you to believe that you are influencing me."

He shook his head. "What?"

"See…I rest my case," I said under my breath.

"Just get in the car, Claire," he directed as if he was annoyed, but he was smiling.

When we arrived at the Cullens' place, it never ceased to amaze me at how big it was. I'd been at this house countless times before to hang out with Nessie, but every time I managed to stand wide eyed in awe at this beautiful house. Though the Cullens were gone, the house still reminded me of them because nothing about it had changed. I don't know what I was expecting to see differently here. There was one change that I noticed as I looked up at the house, taking it in. There was glass missing from the windows on the third floor.

"Someone wanted to extend the balcony?" I raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"You could say that." Quil smiled, looking up too. "Nessie…redecorated a bit when she got here. She wanted holes in the wall with Jake's outline, and she wasn't happy with the bookcase because it went flying out the window, along with the rest of the furniture in the room."

"So, she kicked his ass about the whiner?" I asked, and Quil looked completely baffled. "Billy referred to her that way."

"Kicking his ass is an understatement, Claire. It looked like a warzone up there when she was done. Nessie was completely bad ass!" He laughed as he thought about it and placed his hand in mine and twined our fingers absentmindedly. It was as if this was natural for him to be holding my hand, and it was. He often did this when we were just talking or walking on First Beach.

We walked up the steps and into the house. There was no one in the living room, yet Quil yelled, "Guys, Claire is here. Put some clothes on and please act like you have some manners."

Rasika and her imprint were the first in sight. "You should talk, Quil. I didn't even know you knew what the word meant," Rasika joked as they came down the stairs. She smiled at me.

"It's good to see you again, Rasika," I told her, and then I smiled at her imprint. Quil had told me not to get too close to her because she was new to the "vegetarian" lifestyle.

"The imprint has a name. It's Antonia," she said light heartedly. "And I survived dinner with Charlie, Sue, and Jamie, so I think you're pretty much safe."

I held out my hand and she shook it. "I'm Bwen Sinclaire Standish, but everyone just calls me Claire."

"Nice to finally get to see the Claire in person that Quil spends all his time thinking about."

"Really? What kind of things does Quil think about me?" I asked, completely intrigued by this information. _Maybe he's not completely oblivious to me_.

Before Antonia could say anything, he said, "Nothing. I don't think anything."

_Why is he so damn defensive? Has he ever wondered what it would be like to touch his lips to mine? His soft lips pressed against mine, the electricity flowing between us, his hands – oh shit! They can smell arousal! Think about something else…puppies, puppies – crap! Quil turns into a giant dog…um think think…Why is Antonia looking at me like that? Duh, Claire! She can read your fucking thoughts._

_Does Quil know you curse like that? I was always under the impression that you were Saint Claire,_ she asked me. I wasn't shocked that her voice was in my head, because Quil had informed me on her powers.

I just giggled. _C'mon. Can't you at least tell me one little thought that he's had?_

_No can do, kiddo. He'll have to tell you himself._

_What fun is it to be a mind reader, if you won't share what's on other peoples' minds?_ To this Antonia laughed.

"Quil, I like her. Her mind is a humorous place to be."

At this point Nema and Seth came in and I hugged them both. They were followed by Jacob, who hugged me, and I noticed that he wasn't acting like an as –

"Claire!" Quil said.

"What?" I exclaimed. "I didn't _say_ anything!"

"You were thinking it. I know you too well."

I had been caught, and I had to admit that Quil was good. It was like he was attuned to my thoughts. Soon, Nessie joined the group. She looked different though she was unchanging. Her eyes told the tale of sorrow, but she gave me a warm smile when she saw me. I let go of Quil's hand and went straight to her, hugging her as tight as I could. "You are not allowed to leave ever again. I don't care what a di – " Quil cleared his throat. "Sorry, Father, I'll rephrase. I don't care how Jake is acting."

She laughed. "Agreed. What's with Quil? Is he your Dad now?"

"Seems like it. Did you get my birthday message when you were in Florida? We have to have a double party. It will be fun! You need some fun. That's what has been seriously lacking in your life lately."

I was talking a mile a minute, and it caught me completely by surprise when Antonia yelled, "Holy shit! I forgot my birthday!"

All eyes were on her then. "How did you forget your birthday?" Rasika asked, bewildered. That was the same thing I wanted to know, because birthdays were memorable occasions…well for humans they were.

**Antonia's Pov**

"I don't know. I guess I was too preoccupied to think of anything else," I muttered still unable to fully comprehend how I, with my infallible memory, had managed to forget my own birthday.

"What could have possibly preoccupied you so much that you would forget your own personal holiday?" Claire asked still in disbelief that forgetting your birthday was possible. I just shrugged my shoulders.

"She was preoccupied because her birthday was the day of the fight," Nema informed the room for me.

"Holy crap! So you were fighting a war on your birthday. That really sucks as – a lot. I said a lot, Papa Quil, I can't get in trouble for that," Claire replied quickly switching the words in her sentence. I really did like her. She had an amusing mind and it held no bitterness. It was a relaxing place to be.

_Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday? _Rasika asked, looking down at me with her arm wrapped around me.

_It really wasn't that big of a deal. _I shrugged.

_Yes it is. It's your birthday! _Rasika exclaimed in my head. Apparently birthdays were a much bigger deal to her than they were to me.

_Yeah, but not a major one. Come on, I turned eleven whoop whoop. I will never age again so birthdays aren't really a big deal. _

_I could've gotten you something or we could've celebrated, _Rasika thought with her head down. I could tell she was thinking that she should've known when my birthday was. She could've asked me or Nema.

_Don't start that. Tell you what, I got the best birthday present ever so we'll call it even, _I thought to her as she continued to look me in the eyes.

_What's that?_

_I got you_, I thought as I pressed my lips into the sensitive spot on her neck.

"Wow, creeptastic. If anyone ever catches me and Quil staring at each other like that knock one of us out, please," Claire said drawing us back to earth.

"We were talking. That's not creepy," Ras told them, trying to defend our "creeptasticness".

"It can be a little creepy," Seth muttered, siding with Claire.

"What? Are you serious? It is not!" Rasika apparently took offense to us being called creepy, but I figured we didn't think it was creepy, so whatever.

"It is when you guys do it for hours at a time. Seriously, hours just looking at each other! I get worried that you guys are gonna like eat each other sometimes," Quil butted in the middle of everyone laughing and joking about how creepy – or not – we could be.

"Well, they do end up eating each other, don't they?" Claire asked sarcastically. The more I listened to her thoughts the more I liked her. She was snarky. I laughed but everyone else just kind of sputtered a little bit. I heard the thoughts of a delivery truck pulling off the main road to our house.

"Yay! They're here!" I exclaimed on my way out of the house. I was barely concentrating as I heard Rasika telling everyone that my car and bike were arriving today.

Once I was outside, I tried to make it look like I had already been out there because there was no way a human would have known he was that close. He pulled up to a stop in front of the house and jumped out of the truck.

"Excuse me, miss, but I have a delivery for a… Antonia Moreau," the delivery man told me, looking at his clipboard. I heard a slight gasp come from Rasika who was now on the porch with everyone else.

"That's me," I told him. I had to admit I liked using Ras's last name as my own. I didn't have one because my father hadn't remembered his after his change. It didn't matter. Vampires never used surnames.

"I need your registration for both vehicles and your driver's license to verify," he told me, hoping to draw out the process so that he could keep visualizing me naked. I, on the other hand, was hoping to speed this up as much as possible because he had just caught sight of Nema and was imagining both of us in a threesome. I never wanted to see the image of me and my sister wrapped up together ever again, but I wasn't going to suffer alone. I whipped both registrations and my fake driver's license out of my back pocket as I showed Nema play by play of what he was thinking. I could see her face cringe as the onslaught hit her.

_Not funny, Antonia. I didn't want to see that._

I agreed with her.

"All right, everything's in order. Let me get the car off the back and then the motorcycle." He had finally finished pouring over my information, taking up unnecessary time. I folded the papers up and placed them back in my pocket where they belonged. He began talking to me like it was nothing out of the ordinary.

"I have to hand it to you, miss. You have excellent taste in cars. I've never delivered anything this nice." He was trying to make small talk. "I suppose that a beautiful, exotic woman such as yourself would have a foreign car though." There it was. He had moved from small talk to making advances. I heard Rasika let out a low growl that no human could hear from this distance. In response, Claire let out a laugh.

"What? It's funny! As if that guy really stands a chance in Hell with a chick that looks like Toni. He looks crazy! I doubt he can get a regular girl, let alone a hybrid," she whispered still laughing. He had finally managed to get my electric blue Maserati off the truck and was working on my matching motorcycle. I saw Rasika walking over to me as he was backing it out. His back was turned when she got to me and wrapped her arms around me. The feel of my back pressed into her was always a heady sensation but I welcomed it as she leaned her mouth next to my ear.

_It was making me crazy, hearing what he was saying to you, and then Nema told me what he was thinking. I needed to hold you so that I couldn't kill him. _She finished her thought by kissing my ear as if she had whispered it.

"I bet you'd like to have some nice strong arms to go with you and this motorcycle?" I felt Rasika tense around me.

"She already has them," Rasika said loud enough for him to hear her. It came out as little better than a snarl. I looked up to see her face contorted to show just how animalistic she could be. She looked dangerous and just as quickly it was gone.

"That's right, Rasika, defend your territory," Claire spoke up in a normal voice from the porch knowing we both heard her.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, I didn't see you," he spoke out condescendingly. He didn't consider Rasika to be any kind of threat because she was a woman. He thought it would be too easy to woo me because he didn't think she was giving me what I wanted in the bedroom. He really was a small minded human.

"This is my wife. Rasika, baby, say hello," I told her as I kissed her under her jaw. Calling her my wife had the desired effect and he took a mental step back.

"Hello," she sneered at him before kissing my hair above my ear and leaving her lips. I actually enjoyed seeing her staking her claim on me. It was nice in a primal kind of way. The wolves thought it was hilarious.

"Here are the keys to the ninja and the Maserati. Hope you enjoy them," he told me as he put them in my hand. I gave the Maserati key to Ras so that she could pull it into the garage. She was hesitant to let me go but finally conceded. He seized his opportunity with her leaving while I was climbing on my bike to take it to the garage to scribble his number on a piece of paper and saunter over to me.

"Here, just in case you want a taste of what you're missing, beautiful." He put the slip of paper in my hand. I heard the snarl erupt from the garage, but fortunately Jake and Seth were holding her back.

"Listen to me, you overly cologne close minded shit head, I have everything I could ever hope for with that woman. If I ever see you again, I will let her kill you." I punctuated my point by smiling a little too wide so he could see my gleaming white teeth. I could see in his mind that I looked every bit the demon I was. He backed away quickly and jumped in his truck. I pulled my bike around and headed to the garage where Rasika was still strongly contemplating murder. I parked my bike in a corner of the garage and told the guys I had her so they would leave us alone for a minute. I wasted no time jumping into her arms and wrapping my legs around her waist.

"Mine?" she quietly asked looking me in the eyes.

_Yours, _I thought to her as I kissed her softly on the lips. She had calmed down a little bit, but she was still furious. I thought some comfort food was in order. I tried to slide off of her but she wouldn't let me. _Then take us to the house. I'll fix you something to eat. _I was slightly annoyed that she wouldn't let me walk, but it only lasted a few seconds.

Once she was seated at the breakfast bar, still staring at the counter and clenching her fists trying to remind herself about why cold blooded murder was wrong, I went and grabbed a pack of Oreos and a jar of peanut butter. I knew that she liked that combination when she was upset but she had never eaten it with me in the room. Claire bounded into the seat next to her with Quil close by. I opened the pack of cookies and the jar of peanut butter and set them in front of her. I was slightly intrigued by the smell of the peanut butter. I had never smelled it before and it wasn't nearly as bad as some of the other foods she ate. In fact, I rather enjoyed it. I watched her intently as she scooped some of it onto a cookie and tossed into her mouth. An instant smile spread across her face. Claire had decided to partake in the cookies too. I studied the jar in between their scoops before poking it with my finger. I looked at the little dollop of peanut butter on my finger and hesitantly put in my mouth. I couldn't believe that I liked it. It was sweet and, oh man, it was so good. I stuck my finger in the jar and pulled out a huge dollop of it that I greedily shoved in my mouth.

"Oi, leave us some! Here try it with a biscuit." Rasika laughed handing me a cookie topped with peanut butter. I was a little more hesitant. I wasn't sure about the cookies because they didn't smell as appetizing. I took a bite of comfort food concoction in my hand before shaking my head.

"Nope, I don't like the cookie," I told her as I proceeded to lick the peanut butter off the top before I handed the cookie back to her to finish.

"Oh, you don't like it but you were willing to lick off all of my peanut butter. That is so messed up," Ras sounded irritated but she had never stopped smiling at me. I returned her smile and snagged the peanut butter jar before I ran to the living room with it. I felt Rasika wrap one arm around my waist using the other in a half hearted attempt to try to snatch the peanut butter away from me. It was nice to let loose and just play with her for a minute.

"Hey, Toni, can I still have some peanut butter for my cookies?" Claire asked. I knew I liked her.

"Of course you can, Claire, here have some." I held the jar out to her so she could scoop some on the cookie and take a bite.

"Mmmhhhh, it is sooo good. Rasika, you should try some of this." Claire was having entirely too much fun rubbing it in. Rasika dropped her arms and sat on the chair and pretended to cry. I wasted no time snuggling up on her lap and trying to pull her head up.

"Rasi," I tried my cutest fake whine voice. She popped her head up, grinning, and trapped me in her arms throwing both of us on the floor. She snatched the jar and yelled "I have the power!" before disappearing into the kitchen to put the stuff away. Everyone was laughing at our little escapades, even Nessie and Jake. I really wanted this atmosphere to continue. I jumped to my feet and ran upstairs as fast as I could and grabbed my laptop and all of the cords I needed to hook it up to the television.

"Everybody come in here so we can watch this," I told everybody as I was hooking up the computer.

"Antonia, what are we watching?" Nema asked as she sat on the couch next to Seth.

"I found it on you tube. It's hilarious. It's called A Very Potter Musical!" I was so excited.

"I watched that in Florida. It's so funny! You guys are going to love it." It was nice to see that me and Ness had something in common. I pushed the play button and sat on Rasika's lap, making sure she could see. Ness and I had started giggling as soon as the opening song 'Gotta get back to Hogwarts' started to play. Everyone in the room was rolling on the floor clutching their sides trying to suppress the laughter. This was a mental environment I could get used to living in. When it was over we all gathered around the front door to say good night to Claire. I had really enjoyed meeting her. She fit in with us really well. She hugged Ness tight and told her that they would plan out their birthday party later. Nema and Seth were next and even Jake and Rasika got hugs. I was about to hold my hand out to her when she flew into my arms and hugged me, too. I didn't know what to do so I hugged her back.

"Go ahead and smell me. You know you want to." Claire was a brave little human, but she was right, she smelled wonderful. I put my nose in her hair and inhaled slowly. While Claire was in my arms, I saw Quil about to have a panic attack and Rasika had inched closer to me ready to pull me off if she had to. Once my lungs were full of her scent and my throat was scorching I pulled my face away from her.

_See, not so hard to resist killing me, was it? _She had the biggest smirk on her face.

"Thank you, Claire."

"Don't mention it. It was just a hug. I should really be thanking you for not making me dessert. I realize that was probably a lot like hugging a triple chocolate brownie to me." She pulled back and got in Quil's car throwing out a last wave to everyone else as they drove away.

**Nema's POV**

When Quil and Claire left, Seth began cleaning up the mess in the kitchen and living room. I swore my Sethie-pooh had a touch of OCD the way he overreacted about some of the clutter in the house. After he had buzzed around fixing things and mumbling about real animals inhabiting this house as the rest of us just watched, trying not to find his outburst humorous, he came into the living room to join us.

I caressed his face, calming him. "Sethie-pooh, are you okay?" I whispered so that only he could hear it.

He leaned into my touch, and Toni asked, "What did you just call him?" Neither of us answered but both of us were blushing, and that was a feat for both of our dark skin tones to convey. "First, it was lovely love, kitten and tiger. Now he's _Sethie-pooh_? I swear if you two come up with another nickname for each other –"

"So what are we going to do about Quil and Claire?" I asked, trying to hide the embarrassment of Toni calling attention to mine and Seth's nicknames for each other and get the focus off of Seth and me. "I know he hasn't told her, and I know that her feelings for him have definitely developed into more than the school girl crush she had when I first met her. I can _see_ the change, especially when she looks at him. She gravitates toward him and subtly touches him like it's a necessity – and we all know it is."

I reached for Seth's hand as he was reaching for mine, and it was the absentminded need to be touching that Quil and Claire had been experiencing today. At times, he would hold her hand or tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. Claire would put her hand on his shoulder or hug him for no apparent reason.

"Poor Claire," Nessie said from her seat beside Jake on the couch. This was the first time I'd realized that they had been in the same room and nothing was being thrown, and no one was being cursed at. "She's probably so frustrated and confused. I know how that situation feels." As she spoke she sounded so hesitant to bring up the past and how she had felt about Jacob.

Then Jacob spoke up, "Quil's probably so oblivious to any of the changes that he's feeling right now." Ness looked at him and they held each other's gaze. "He's probably trying to fight the imprint, but no matter what, he can't. It will make itself known." I had a feeling that Jacob wasn't talking about Quil and Claire anymore.

_I wish they'd just hop into bed and get it over with,_ Toni thought to me, and I couldn't help but laugh.

My laughter had snapped Ness and Jake out of the moment they were having, and they looked at me questioningly. "It's nothing."

At that moment, Quil walked in the door with a smile on his face, and he sat down in a chair across from me and Seth. "What's up, guys?"

"Quil, we need to talk to you about something," I said since no one else would say anything.

"Okay, shoot."

"We think that maybe you should consider mentioning –"

"You need to tell Claire about imprinting," Jacob blurted out and the shocked expression on Quil's face said everything.

"You think I should…_what_? She's not ready for that yet!"

"You bet your ass she is. Trust me. If she had to distract herself one more time from those instant panty wetter lips of yours as she put it, we would've all known just what was on your little Claire-bear's mind." Quil just looked dumbfounded as Antonia spoke.

"Huh? I can't…_we_ can't…I'm a dirty old man and she's just a child!" He put his head in his hands and growled in frustration.

We all were silent for split second before everyone us doubled over with laughter. "Are you kidding me?" Rasika managed to say through her laughter. "I'm dating a freaking eleven year old and I'm technically 32!"

"Quil, how old do you think I am?" Nessie asked him, smiling. "I was only ten last year!"

"How do you think I felt being a 27 year old falling for a ten year old? The only thing that kept me from fighting it was the knowledge that I stopped aging at 16, and technicality aside, _that_ wasn't such a big age difference," Jake commented.

I had stayed quiet up until this point, and so had Seth. We looked at each other and then back at them, only to see Toni tapping her finger against her knee impatiently. "Well, are you two going to spill it, or do I have to do it?"

I knew she would if I didn't say something soon. Feeling defeated, I sighed. "Fine, fine! If anyone should feel dirty and old for the age gap, it's me. I'm 110, and when I found out Seth was only 25 it made me feel like a cradle robber!" I bit my lip nervously, waiting for the ragging to begin because before this, none of them – with the exception of Toni and Seth – knew how old I was. They were all staring at me in shock. "What? Stop looking at me like that."

"Your sister is 110? She's the oldest, right?" Rasika asked Antonia.

Antonia and I both laughed. "Nema is the middle child! Hunter is the oldest. She's 178," she informed Rasika.

Jacob was eyeing me with amusement twinkling in his eyes. This was the first time I'd seen his eyes alight with any emotion. "Seth, you got it wrong, buddy. She's no kitten, she's a cougar."

"There's nothing wrong with having a woman of wisdom." He leaned down, touching my lips to his and slipping his tongue into my mouth. Seth had one of those instant panty wetter mouths as well, and I blushed because I knew everyone was very aware of what just a kiss had elicited from me. "She's seen a lot of things and I'm _very_ appreciative," Seth said when we broke away for air.

"We know from all the praise you give her at night. Amen, Nema, amen," Quil mocked.

"Now, now, Quil. Just because some of us –" Rasika started but was interrupted by Jacob saying "all of us" and muffling it with a cough, "are more experienced, there is no need to be bitter." She said each word slowly and condescendingly.

"More experienced implies having more than one partner. How many people have you been with, Rasika?" Quil asked, trying to prove a point and already I could see this share and tell session going down the wrong path. We were all imprints, but not even imprints shared every detail of their past with their mates.

"For your information, I've been with five people. Four guys and now Toni," Rasika admitted unabashedly.

"_I_ already knew that," Antonia gloated, pointing at herself.

"Of course you knew, but does Ras know about your history?" Quil pressed the matter further.

"She knows I've been with one vampire."

Rasika looked at her inquisitively, catching Antonia's word choice. "How many humans?"

"Aww crap," she muttered in response.

Rasika's eyes were as wide as saucers when she realized that Toni was trying to avoid answering. "How many humans, Toni?" I asked, getting revenge from her threatening to out my age if I didn't.

"I don't know…over 100…I wasn't keeping count," Antonia finally admitted.

I thought that Rasika would go into cardiac arrest the way she was looking at Toni. Toni made a move to touch her and Ras jumped up from her seat. "Oh my God! Don't touch me!" she exclaimed as she came to sit on the floor beside Quil.

"I should've listened to Hunter. She always told me not to play with my food," Antonia said.

Quil had then turned his attention to Ness and Jake. "Jake, we already know when you came back; you slept with anything with breasts and a pulse." I saw Nessie clench her fingers into a fist then, but surprisingly nothing was thrown. "But, Nessie, what were you up to in Florida?"

"Nothing," she said almost too quickly. "I…I stayed completely faithful, unlike some people in the room." Ness crossed her arms over her chest, looking down at the floor. She looked scared, or maybe angry.

Jacob jumped up. "How do you stay faithful to someone _you_ broke up with? That sounds crazy, even coming from you!" he exclaimed.

"You know damn well I –"

"Just forget it. I'm not doing this with you anymore," he told her as he sat back down, leaving her with watery eyes and a quivering lip.

"Quil, don't you think we've had enough of this game?" I asked, seeing the damage that had already been done.

"How could we be done, Nema? We haven't heard from you. You've been around for 110 years; surely you weren't a saint all that time."

I took a deep breath, and Seth was looking at me, almost willing me to say that I had been a saint before him. When I revealed my history, I couldn't look at him. I didn't want to see his face when I said what I had to say. "I've only had one other relationship…"

Seth knew there was more. "How long was it?"

"Thirty years. He was a vampire," I admitted, looking at the wall.

"Is he still alive? Why did you break up?"

"Yes and…we didn't."

Seth was visibly shaking with anger. "What do you mean you haven't broken up with him?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"We were together when my family lived in Mexico. The Volturi came and I went for help. After I returned and there was nothing left in my home, I stayed with my brother and then we came here."

"So you are telling me that if I hadn't imprinted on you, you'd still be with him now?"

He knew the answer as well as I did. "Yes."

"Do you love him?"

I didn't answer at first. I was too busy inwardly damning Quil for his sick little game. "We had a thirty year relationship. Of course there are still feelings there. But, Seth, I'm not in love with him. I'm in love with you. You have to know that."

He didn't even look at me as he spoke. "How could you keep this from me?" he asked and I noticed Toni glaring at Seth meaningfully. Guilt washed over me and I wanted to cry, but I couldn't, not in front of everyone.

Quil then set his sights on the last pawn in his game. I knew that Seth's answer would make me feel so much worse, because he was a virgin when he imprinted on me. "What about you, Seth? I know you _claimed_ to have never been with anyone when you were macking on Ness behind Jake's back."

I must not have heard Quil right. "I'm sorry, what?" I asked to no one in particular. Nessie was looking down at her feet and Seth was glaring at Quil. Nobody was speaking now. "Someone better say something, damn it!" I yelled, and it felt odd. I don't recall ever yelling out of anger in my entire existence. "Surely he's not talking about the night when I asked you both if there was something between you, and Ness said that Nahuel was lying and you stood by and said nothing!" I was standing now, looking down at Seth, whose eyes were also downcast. "I want a fucking answer, Seth!"

"Yes, but Nema it –"

"Don't you but Nema me, you lying bastard! How dare you lie to me about something like this and then you sit there and make me feel bad because I kept a thirty year relationship from you from _before_ the imprinting occurred. You never asked about Zane, but I would have told you if you had. I asked you about your relationship with Ness, and you stood by letting me believe my brother was a jealous, sadistic psycho!" My attention was then turned to Nessie. "And you, you lying bitch! You pretended to be my friend and you stood there and lied in my fucking face! You let me believe that Nahuel was crazy and jealous over a slut like you! You had Jacob but he wasn't enough, you had to have your hands on my man as well? Is that why the both of you are so close? How far did this relationship go? Did you fuck her, Seth?" Nessie was shrinking away from my insults, but I didn't care what she thought, or what any of them thought. My heart was hurting in a way that I had never imagined possible.

"No, Nema! It was just three or four kisses." He stood, trying to calm me down.

"Don't you fucking touch me!" I screamed, pushing him back down onto the chair. "Why do you still remember exactly how many kisses you shared? Is that what was happening when you went to the cottage today? Are you cheating on me, Seth?"

"No, baby, never!" He was pleading with his eyes for me to understand.

"Then why did you lie?"

"Nema, we didn't want –" Nessie started.

"I don't want to hear a word out of your damn mouth. You're lucky that this house belonged to your family, or I would throw your ass out on the street right now, along with your precious Seth. But I have news for you. He is _mine_, you got that?"

The room was silent, and all eyes were on me. I felt deflated now and hurt, I needed to escape and cry, but they were all still looking at me and I could feel the tears vastly approaching. I started for my room when Seth grabbed my arm to stop me. I turned on him, my eyes just slits, burning through him. "Get out, Seth. Now, just leave me alone. This house is a 'no _lying _dogs allowed' premises, but I have a dog house for you, the cottage. It's where you spent all your time with your can't- do- wrong, Ness, isn't it? Go wallow in the memories somewhere else, because I don't want you over here."

I made a run for the stairs, not sure how much longer I could hold in the betraying tears that threatened to fall. Rasika and Toni were behind me. Ras turned on Toni, "You thought you were sleeping with me tonight? You better follow Seth."

When I reached my room, I slammed my door, causing the entire house to shake. I was furious and hurt. I didn't like violence but Seth and Ness almost pushed me to it tonight. Thinking of how long they had kept this lie from me had only infuriated me more. I needed an outlet for my anger, so I punched a hole through the wall. They'd better have a damn good explanation because I was so angry I could kill tonight.

**Jake's POV**

The explosion that just happened before me had left me sitting in shock. I knew that Nema didn't know about Nessie and Seth's mini _affair_, but I didn't expect quiet, saintly Nema to explode like that. I was beginning to think that maybe none of us should get together and talk because lately, it seems that explosions happened when we all hung out. I didn't think Quil had planned for his little Q and A session to turn out this way, but none the less, he came out of it unscathed.

"Quil, you are a complete ass, you know that?" I asked him as I looked over at Nessie. She was shaking, and in this instant I felt sorry for her. The poor girl had been through so much in the course of a few short days.

"I didn't plan this! I didn't know any of this would be a big issue with you guys. I thought imprints shared everything and maybe you guys had told each other this stuff already. My bad, man, damn!"

"Whatever. If they don't fix it, you better," I told him, before looking at Ness once again. She seemed so unaware of anything going on around her now as she stared off into space, her body shaking and tears constantly streaming down her face. I was really worried now, this was almost like the mental breakdown she had had in Florida, but this time I was mostly the cause. "Nessie, honey, are you alright?" I asked, saying every word slowly trying to soothe her. She didn't answer me, but I took her hand and she stood. "We're going to go upstairs, okay?"

As we walked upstairs, she had a death grip on my hand and she was projecting scenes from all the hurtful things I'd said to her, her time with Seth today, and the encounter with Nema tonight. I was feeling her emotions from the memories as well, and they weighed down so heavily on me that my knees almost buckled beneath me. I didn't think she intentionally meant for me to see them, but never the less, I knew first hand that I had caused most of this. I put her in bed and tucked her in. I knelt down beside her to wipe some of the tears from her eyes.

"I know that I am to blame for the majority of the tears you've cried these last few days, and I know that I've been less than ideal lately. Nessie, I really want to say I'm sorry for everything. I shouldn't have said what I said last night, and I shouldn't have brought Kelly here. In hind sight, I guess I was just trying to get back at you. No matter how we feel about each other right now, I won't be the cause of your tears anymore. We can hurt each other so much more than we realize, and I just can't play that game anymore. You and I can coexist in the same house and we can even be civil to one another, like today when Claire was here. I'll keep my personal feelings toward you to myself, and I hope you can do the same. I'm not going to play the game anymore, I can't do it. I'm sorry that I let it go on this long. As of right now, it's over. I don't know what the future holds for us but I can't forget our past, and I won't forget the pain because it's here every night and day. One day maybe we can be friends. I'm sorry for all of this and that we didn't turn out the way we dreamed."

Her tears had subsided, and she just closed her eyes nodding. I stood then, going over to my make shift bed on the floor on the other side of the room. If she didn't want me in the bed, I wouldn't be. The fighting was just too much for her and it had drained me too. I was about to lay down when she called out to me.

"Jacob?" Her voice sounded small and unsure, still shaky from the crying.

"Yes, Nessie?" I asked, not sure where this would lead.

"You can sleep in the bed," she told me.

I got into bed beside her and she turned her back to me. I stared up at the ceiling as I listened to her uneven breathing, and I knew she was crying again. It took everything in me not to wrap her in my arms and console her, because honestly I didn't know if she would let me. Somehow the tables had turned and I had hurt her. My pain was miniscule now that she was back. As soon as her breathing grew even and I knew she had drifted off to sleep, I wrapped my arms around her, holding her securely to me. She wouldn't know that I had held her through the night when she woke up, but it felt necessary to be holding her as she slept. I was keeping her together, when I knew that in her waking state, I was the leader in demolishing her. I kissed her hair, and promised her silently that someday if we could get past this, I would fix her and make her whole again.

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><p><strong>Well...that was explosive, right? You've gotta have something to say about this chapter, and we're anxious to hear from you!<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 8: Make-ups, Bonfires, and Marriage Proposals?**

**Antonia's Pov**

I had been pacing around the living room of the cottage for hours trying to think of what to say. I had to fix this, and I didn't think telling Rasika that most of the women I slept with didn't survive the encounter was the way to go. I couldn't even tell myself why I had slept with so many humans. I had always been concerned about killing them and I usually did. I preferred sleeping with Chelsea just because I couldn't kill her but the heat from the humans was amazing to say the very least. I went through every encounter I had with a human in my mind, feeling so dirty I would never be clean again as each image raced past my mind. I relived every experience, every death and eventually every time Hunter and Mack had to come in the middle of the night and clean me up because I was a dysfunctional mess. I relived Mack and Demetri covering my naked form before sitting on the floor with me and holding me. I could see Hunter taking the body away to be disposed of and then stripping my bed so she could burn the bloody linens and make it up with new ones. I remember Hunter laying down with me and rocking me to sleep still singing the Spanish lullaby my mother, and later Nema and Hunter, used to sing when she was pregnant. I felt horrible and I couldn't take being this far away from my wolf anymore.

I didn't bother with my shoes. I just raced out of the cottage as fast as I could and stopped just below my second floor window. Rasika wasn't asleep and she was so in tune with my presence that she knew I was there. She also knew I wouldn't come in unless she wanted me to. I would spend as long as I needed to outside waiting for the invitation. I didn't have to wait long. Minutes later, I saw Rasika lift the window so that I could jump in. I backed up and made sure to jump in feet first so that I would land in the bed. She had already turned her back to me and was as far away from me as she could get.

"I still don't want you to touch me. I just couldn't sleep so stay on your side of the bed," Ras told me in barely more than a whisper. She wasn't mad anymore. Now she was just hurt because I felt like there was a part of my life I couldn't share with her.

"I'm sorry, but parts of my old life are just so fucked. I don't want you to see me like that," I told her from my side of the bed.

"We are supposed to be equals in this. You have access to every memory I have but I can't know yours? That is the biggest load of shit I have ever heard, Antonia." I sucked in a breath. She had never called me by my name, ever. "All I want from you is to love me enough to trust me with your past," Rasika whispered as she turned over and looked at me for the first time since I had entered the room.

"I can't tell you my past. It's too difficult and I would never get through it," I told her, looking away from her brown eyes. I could not believe this woman was going to get me to do this. "I can show my past to you though. I'm going to warn you it will be difficult for you to see. Even extremely painful when I get to the memories where my thirst is strong or when I went through combat training," I warned her, looking at her intensely just to try to truly convey the message to her.

"Don't hold anything back." Ras sat up and pulled the sheet up to cover her breasts. It was nice to see that even in my absence she was keeping up the no clothes in bed rule.

"I was afraid you'd say that. Okay, but none of my memories are mine anymore. I'm going to show you every memory I have related to my life. The earliest ones such as my birth will be in Hunter's perspective and the later ones will be a mix of myself and people close to me." I started pushing memories of my life into her mind slowly. I didn't want to overwhelm her with them yet. I went through Hunter's earliest memories of my childhood quickly. The first memory I had from my childhood that I could remember was first learning to walk from Nema to Hunter. I felt Rasika cringe as I began to replay it. "What's the matter? That's a good memory." I couldn't understand her reaction until I saw what she was thinking.

"It was just so confusing hearing everyone's thoughts at once. It was worse than being in pack mind even though it's basically the same thing I guess," she told me, looking down at her hands.

"I was so young; I couldn't control my gift. You were hearing every thought for a three mile radius. The distance got larger as I gained control. I can push it out to eight miles now. It got easier as I got older. You'll see." I started to concentrate again. I remembered the day the Volturi came to our home in Mexico and the fear I had felt at seeing Hunter tortured by Jane. I showed her Nema jumping out of the window. I still had bitter undertones although I wasn't mad at her anymore. I ran through my childhood that way, all of my happiest memories laid out for her. I stopped suddenly when I was four years old. I was in the training room looking across at Jane who was smiling at me like I was an early Christmas present.

"Why did you stop?" Rasika had moved closer to me during my life's show and tell.

"This is one of the most physically painful memories I have. I really don't want to show you because you'll feel it as if it were your own memory. Please, let me shield you from this." I was willing to beg her to let me skip my painful memories but I could already see the no forming in her mind. That was how Rasika was able to feel my first training session. She felt the pain of burning under Jane's gaze and once my mind detached itself from Jane she got to experience the pain of having my leg ripped off and reattached. I ran through the memory on fast forward as Rasika curled into the fetal position and fought the screams catching in her throat from the pain she was reliving through me. She got to see how I received the few crescent shaped scars on my body from training bites. I gave her a few minutes to breathe as I moved on to happy memories again. Dance lessons with Demetri and violin with Hunter. She saw countless random moments with my sisters and Demetri. I let her watch me with Mack and Chelsea in the garage in Volterra. I showed her what I began to feel when I turned six. I heard her growling low in her chest as she watched me give my virginity to one of my best friends. She got to see the memory of my first Volturi mission, Jaques and Sheryl, for herself instead of just hearing about it. She began to feel my emotional state as sadness and unease crept in. I showed her the memories of myself slaughtering well over a hundred human women after I had slept with them unable to resist the call of their blood. I had to switch to Mack's view of what happened after for her to understand how torn apart I was by what I had done - I showed her the exact memory I had remembered in the cottage. She was probably the only werewolf besides Jake who would ever experience blood lust. She clutched her throat as I showed her what the flames felt like and how weak I could be in the face of the monster. She cringed with me as the time went on and I dove head first farther and farther down a black hole with every vampire and human Aro commanded me to slaughter. I could barley feel myself as I realized I was sobbing into the crook of her neck with her arms wrapped around me creating a protective cage.

_I'm sorry you imprinted on me. I'm more than a little bit fucked up. I was soiled before you ever saw me and it doesn't matter how many showers I take, all the dirt and grime will never come off. _I couldn't speak. I was too busy crying. I barely felt her move me into the bathroom. I felt her slip my shirt over my head and felt her pull my jeans off. I could hear the shower being turned on. The sensation of the water and Rasika's scorching body heat together instantly soothing me. I was calm enough to hear Ras's thoughts and understand why she put me in the shower with her. I reveled in the feel of her slowly washing my back and shoulders helping me to get the figurative "grime" off. This was the first time we had ever been in the shower together when neither of us wanted to have sex. It was intimate and showed just how much she loved me as she got down on her knees and washed my legs. I leaned my head against the wall so I could just feel her washing my past down the drain. She saved my hair for last. She loved my hair almost as much as my eyes. Ras reveled in the feel of my wet curls under her fingers as she rinsed the shampoo out.

_Thank you, _I thought to her as she turned the shower off and grabbed a towel to dry me off with.

_I love you. I will always take care of you when you need it. If that means I have to give you a shower at two in the morning I will. If I have to kick some big bad vampire's ass for ripping your leg off, well, I'll do that too. _She punctuated every word with a kiss to a different part of my body paying special attention to the scars. I had one just above my collarbone and one over my heart; that was her favorite to kiss. I also had a couple on my arms and legs. Her kisses had new meaning for both of us now that she saw how I had gotten them. I let her set me on the small wooden bench in our bathroom and grab the comb off the counter. She slowly combed all the snarls out of my curls.

_I really hope you plan on making combing my hair for me a habit because I hate doing it myself, _I told her as I leaned back into her.

"I would be happy to. Now let's go to bed it's been a long night," she whispered as she picked me up and walked me over to our bed. For once I enjoyed being carried. I was even tired although I had just slept the night before. Sleep couldn't come fast enough as she wrapped me in her warmth. I really hoped that Nema and Seth worked out their problems and got some sleep too.

**Nessie's POV**

All night, my dreams were haunted by Nema's usually serene features, now marred with pain. It had been my fault entirely that she had lashed out and yelled at Seth and me. I had lied to protect her, but the lie had come back to bite me in the ass. I had to make things right with her and Seth. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep until I righted this wrong.

I tried to roll over, but my back was pinned to something hard and my body was encased in a familiar warmth that I hadn't felt in so long. I knew I had to be dreaming still, so I slowly opened my eyes. Nope…I wasn't dreaming. Jacob was actually holding me just like I had imagined so many times when I was living with Renee. I slowly turned in his arms, so that I wouldn't wake him up, and I watched his sleeping form. He looked so peaceful, almost like the Jake that he used to be. My first instinct was to touch him, and my hand gently ghosted over his cheek. I smiled, reveling in the feel of his smooth skin under my fingers. I barely touched him because I knew if I woke him, this would all be over and that made my heart hurt. Being like this with Jake was all I ever wanted, not the complicated mess that we had made of things. Though he didn't know that he was holding me, I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around him too, but I had other things to do besides pretend that this was a sappy Taylor Swift love song moment. In reality it really was just a sad version of a soap opera gone wrong and somewhere along the lines we forget the part where we make up.

Somehow, I managed to wriggle myself out of Jake's arms as he continued to snore, sleeping like a log. I made my way to Nema's door, listening intently so that I could tell if she was asleep or not. But the light under her door was shining and I could hear her feet shuffling across the floor. Hesitantly, I knocked and as soon as I had the door opened. She wasn't smiling as she normally would've been had this been any other occasion, nor was she scowling as she had been tonight when she had had the bomb explode in her lap.

"Could we talk?" I asked, my voice barley a whisper as Nema stood looking down at me, intimidating.

She stepped out of the doorway so that I could come in. "Fine, talk, but I don't want to hear any apologies. You did what you did and all I want to hear is why you two kept it from me," she said coldly.

"Nema, you have to understand that I wasn't trying to keep it from you because I wanted Seth for myself, because I didn't and don't. He's my friend and that's it. I know that. I don't even have feelings for him in that way," I explained.

"But did you?" she asked, cutting me with her gaze.

"There was a time when I thought that I did have slight feelings for him when I found out that Jacob was in love with my mom. I kissed Seth on impulse, just to make Jake feel what I felt, but Seth had thought he felt something more. Not once did I even give Seth an inkling that I had any sort of feelings for him, though. I was too caught up in Jake, and I still am," I admitted, biting my lip nervously and hoping that Nema wouldn't hit me, because at this point I was really sick of breaking the house.

"Why did you lie then? There must be more to it because people only lie when they have something to hide."

"I was trying to protect you. Nahuel was spewing off so much shit just to tear you down, and if I had told you that Seth and I had kissed three times, you would've believed him and left Seth, even if there was only a small glimmer of truth that he had spun in his favor."

"Why do you still know exactly how many times you kissed him?" she yelled irrationally.

"I'm a hybrid with a photographic memory, Nema. I never forget anything."

"He sure as hell forgets things, but he remembered that!"

"Nema, I really don't know why he remembers, but I can tell you that he loves you. That's the only reason he stayed silent. Neither of us wanted what happened in our past to hurt you." She wasn't really hearing what I was saying. She was still a bit angry and irrational. When Nema finally got angry it was like pulling teeth to get her back to normal, or at least back to rationality. I was even getting a bit frustrated with how she was rejecting every word that I was saying to her. "Damn it, it's not going to matter what I say, is it? I'm really trying to tell you the truth here, but you won't listen. I could've always compelled you into forgetting the whole incident, or just making you believe me, but I have nothing to hide and what I'm saying is the truth. The only other way I can get through to you is to show you."

With my thoughts, I took Nema back in time to when Nahuel finally flipped and went psycho because I had refused to be with him, and Nema had chosen to stay here with Seth. Nahuel had yelled at Nema, told her that she was better than the wolves and that in the end she was just getting my sloppy seconds. He vehemently explained that Seth only wanted her because he couldn't have me, and he told her if she stayed here she was no better than the "dogs". He had cut her down and it hurt to see her this way. When she had asked me if what he was saying was true, there was no choice in my mind. Protecting her was my only thought. If she had thought for a second that it was true, Seth would have been without an imprint.

When the memory ended, she had a new understanding of how everything went down that night. She felt how genuinely concerned I was with her wellbeing and Seth's as well. Her whole demeanor had changed after she had relived the moment with me. Her eyes met mine and she said, "You don't have feelings for Seth? That's not why you lied at all?" she asked, but the questions sounded more like statements.

"No, he's just a friend who I would protect with my life if I had to." I smiled warmly. "I would give him the world if he asked for it," I said, remembering that I had asked Seth this in question form a time before. "And I know that he would return the favor."

"I know he would. He truly cares about you, Ness. More than you know. When you were in Florida, he called you every day and moped around because you didn't want to talk to him. And the night you found out about their reasoning for you coming home, he didn't sleep. He wouldn't sleep until he fixed things with you."

"I love him, but not like you love him. You have to know that I'm truly sorry for keeping this from you for so long. I was trying to protect you," I told her in one last attempt to make her see the truth.

"I believe you, Ness." She hugged me. "And I'm so sorry for the things I said to you. I didn't mean it. I just don't know what came over me."

I hugged her back. "I know. It was the same thing that came over me when I extended the balcony on the third floor. Imprinting brings out strong emotions. Now go to Seth, I'm pretty sure he's going completely insane being without you."

I went back up to the room only to find Jacob, still snoring, sprawled out on the bed. I slid back into bed and his arms wrapped around me once more. I didn't know if he was awake, or asleep, or if the pull was so strong that it subconsciously made him touch me. Whatever it was, I didn't complain. At that moment when all was silent and no words were exchanged, Jacob was a dream. I placed a soft kiss on his jaw and whispered, "I wish we could fix us because I miss you." Soon after, I fell asleep in his arms once again.

**Nema's POV**

After the talk with Ness, I made my way over to the cottage. There was an apology in order for Seth, because his heart was in the right place, even if his intentions to hide the truth were off base. I heard Antonia come home earlier and, with painful clarity, I heard my sister cry. She had come clean with Rasika about her life in the Volturi, and my heart went out to her, but she wasn't the only one that had kept things about their past a secret.

Since imprinting on Seth, I had only told him the necessary details about my life. Zane – though he was a big part of my life – had been kept a secret. I walked into the cottage, following the pull toward my personal gravity. He was sleeping in Ness's old room…Of course, he would feel comfortable here. Though they were just friends, I knew she was a close second for his heart. Their friendship practically defied the laws of imprinting in its strength. Their tie didn't break because they were always in the other's corner rooting for success. Somehow, their friendship had been stronger than imprinting, and it was something that no matter how much thought I gave it, I would never figure out.

I got into bed beside him, running my hands through his dark hair that sprawled haphazardly in his sleeping state. His eyes slowly opened and I pressed a kiss to his lips and snuggled up to him as he instinctively wrapped his arms around me.

"Kitten, I'm so sorry." He softly pressed his lips to mine in a lingering kiss. "You should know that I would never hurt you. I love you so much more than I could ever express," Seth told me, his eyes sincere.

"I know, honey pie, Ness explained everything. You have a good friend in her, don't ever lose that. And I should apologize to for yelling at you. I got so angry and it just hurt so much. I was completely irrational, and I'm also sorry for keeping my relationship with Zane from you as well."

With mention of Zane, Seth stiffened. "I didn't like hiding the whole thing with Ness from you, Nema, but that was only a few weeks – if that. You had three decades that you kept from me. Hell, kitten, I don't even know much about you. All I know is that your dad wasn't ideal, and I know about your sisters and about having to leave Toni."

I buried my face in his chest and wrapped my arms around him. "Do you really want to know?" I asked hesitantly.

He let go of me with one hand so that he could lift my chin and look into my eyes. "I should know your past if I'm your present and your future, Nema. The things that make you who you are are important to me." Seth traced a finger down my jaw line, smiling encouragingly.

"I try not to think of the past, now that I have you, but I really need you to hold me. I feel so safe in your arms, like nothing from the past would ever happen again with you near." He rolled over on his back, taking me with him and I giggled. His arms were wrapped securely around me and I rested my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

Taking a deep breath, I began, "Saying my father wasn't ideal was an understatement. He was only out for power and that's why we were created. He saw in our mothers a strength that he hoped would be transferred to us. It worked with Hunter, Netieri, and Genvieve, but I wasn't special. I didn't have any powers or abilities, and neither did my brother. Just the sheer fact that he was a boy made him special. I wasn't special in the least and was always overshadowed by the rest of them. I hated having to kill so that I could survive, but none of my siblings saw a problem with it. Sometimes I would starve myself until I couldn't take it anymore and I binge ate to satiate myself. I was like a bulimic vampire, if that helps you understand it better. It was always a struggle for me because my conscience was screaming that this wasn't right, but there was no other choice.

"My dad encouraged us to have sex with humans, and even vampires, just to see if we could procreate, but that's the extent of what he would allow. I didn't believe in no strings attached intercourse. I wanted to have an emotional connection with my mate but Dad wrote it off as nonsense when I explained to him why I was the only one of my sisters not out experimenting. Soon, he grew tired of my distaste for violence, my resistance in experimenting, and my "eating disorder". He never laid a finger on me, but he just stopped caring. Joham didn't even speak to me, and why would he when all my sisters were his precious prizes? I know for a fact that my sisters loved me, but they were always doing his bidding, finding him a mate using their impeccable powers, or experimenting. I was just left out or forgotten most of the time. That's one of the reasons that I'm not very outspoken now. When what you say doesn't matter to the people you love, why say anything? Sometimes, it would be days before anyone spoke to me or even remembered that I was there. My life was horrible, and I was stuck. I was forced to kill when I hated violence; I was forced to take human life just so that I could stay alive. The fact of the matter is I just didn't matter because I wasn't special." My lip quivered and tears spilled onto Seth's t-shirt. I had never told anyone this much about my past before.

Seth soothingly ran his fingers through my hair. "You matter to me, lovely love. You're my world."

"I know that now. But just let me finish, okay? I need to get through this before I lose my nerve." He kissed the top of my head and nodded for me to continue. "I lived my life that way for eighty years until I met Zane. I was out on my binge hunting spree and guilt began to set in as I saw my features, with blood smearing my mouth, in a store window. I had not been careful in hiding the corpses. I just threw them into a dumpster, and as I was leaving, my image in the window had stopped me. Standing there, I cried for the disappointment I felt in myself because I wasn't like my sisters. I couldn't even hunt as well as they could. I heard someone on top of the building, but I didn't bother to look up. In a split second, he was behind me saying, 'I know you could do better than that. Dumping bodies in a dumpster isn't even discrete'. I turned to face him, staring into his blazing red eyes. He was one of the most beautiful vampires I had ever seen. His jet black hair was contrasting his pallid skin, and his 100 watt smile and easy manner had left me speechless. He lifted a hand hesitantly to wipe a tear from my face and said, 'you're not a vampire, but you're not human either. What are you?' I told him what I was as I wiped the blood from my mouth with the back of my hand. He told me his name was Zane and he offered to show me how to hunt. I laughed, telling him I was eighty years old. I knew how, I just wished I didn't have to. To this Zane told me that humans did the same thing. They slaughtered animals so that they could eat, and that's essentially what we were doing with humans. I always ended up thinking about the families the people belonged to and how torn apart they would be about the disappearance. After each "meal", I would go through their belongings to find their wallets and purses, hoping to get a feel for who they were. I was torturing myself. I explained all of this to Zane and he seemed to hang on to my every word. For the first time in my existence, someone was listening to me so I talked to him the rest of the night and into the morning. We disposed of the bodies together and arranged to meet again in a few days to hunt together.

"Soon, Zane became my everything because finally I mattered to someone as much as they mattered to me. He wanted the world for me and he even talked of marriage but Joham was against our relationship because it meant that I couldn't experiment, and it was obvious to my father that after five years with Zane, he wasn't the one that I could produce a child with. Our family moved a lot, and, secretly, Zane moved with us. Where ever we would go, so would he. I loved him with all my heart because he listened, he was there, and I wasn't just some science experiment for him. He loved me without reason, and for once in my life I wasn't lonely anymore. Zane had been my best kept secret. He had given me hope, and the only reason I was still stuck with my father, even after Nahuel had rebelled and left, was because I didn't want to hurt him or my sisters." I laughed without humor. "I know it's sad to not want to hurt people that don't really care about you but I stayed and secretly saw Zane - who was very understanding about the entire ordeal. He got me like no one had ever attempted. He knew me inside and out, whereas neither my sisters nor my father really knew much about me.

"But the day the Volturi came I had to leave him behind. I knew that jumping out that window would mean not only leaving my family to maybe be okay until I got back or maybe not, but I was also leaving Zane. I could have always just asked him for help instead of my brother, and sometimes when I would be alone in Nahuel's hut I would ask myself why I hadn't gone to Zane. The answer was completely clear every time. I couldn't sentence him to death too. If one of us lived, it would have to be him. It was my father's doings that caused the Volturi to come, so how could I have asked Zane to come to the aid of a man that he didn't even like? As I ran, I cried, saying goodbye to the last person that would ever care for me."

"Is that the end of your story?" Seth asked as if there was more. "I wanted to hear about your happy ending."

I smiled then, lifting my head and kissing his chin and then making my way to his lips. "After that, I came here and met the most handsome man in the world. He cares even more about me, loves me more, and would literally give me the world if I asked for it. I met a coven that didn't kill humans, and I now feel like I have a home and a family for the first time in my life."

"So tell me more about this sexy beast that you love so much." He smiled.

"Oh, you mean that sexy yet dorky Seth Clearwater?" He scowled and I burst out in laughter. "I love him and all his little OCD freak outs." I made a move to get out of bed. "Let's go home; it's not the same there without you."

When we got out of bed, he squatted down with his back to me. "Seth, what are you doing?"

"Hop on, baby, we're piggy backing it all the way home."

I complied with his silly request and squealed when he stood and began running with me all the way back to the main house. Before we got to the porch, he let me off and I kissed his cheek and mouthed that I loved him before we went inside.

**Claire's POV**

"He did what?" I yelled into my phone, so loud that both my parents ran into the room, looking puzzled. I waved them both off, mouthing that I would tell them later. "Oh you just wait until Quil gets his ass here! I'll handle it."

I pressed the end button on my cell phone and paced the room impatiently. Jacob had just called and informed me that Quil had decided to play Jerry Springer last night. There wasn't much I could really do to him, I didn't have super human strength like Nessie, so I couldn't turn a room into a hurricane disaster site, and I didn't have the ability to hurt anyone without lifting a finger like Toni could. No, I was just plain old Claire with the ability to wield a hockey stick, but since my parents had outlawed the hockey stick – you beat one guy's ass with a hockey stick for touching your ass and suddenly you're not even allowed to own one – I guess a broom would suffice. It might not do much to him but at least I would get my point across.

My mom yelled to let me know that Quil was outside. I walked into the living room, apologizing to my parents for what they would see when he walked in. They knew me well enough not to question what I was planning, and my dad left the room, mumbling that he didn't want to see what I was planning to do with the broom I had sat beside the door. Mom walked into the kitchen, shaking her head saying to only beat him within an inch of his life, so that there wouldn't be a murder that they would have to deal with. I so loved my parents.

I gave them a nod and opened the door. Quil was standing there smiling. "Hey, Claire-bear. You ready to go?" he asked.

"Almost, there's something I want to give you first. Come on in," I said as sweetly as I could. As soon as he walked in, I began wailing on him with the broom, hitting him everywhere. "How dare you, Quil Ateara, decide to play talk show host imprint edition with the lives of your friends!" I punctuated every word with a swipe at him with the broom.

After the initial shock of being slapped repeatedly with the broom, Quil said, "Claire…what…ouch…damn!" I had hit him in the nose.

Soon, I was tired, and Quil easily caught hold of the broom and slid it effortless from my grip. "You son of a –" My mom had come out of the kitchen with her arms folded, looking at me sternly. "Biscuit eating bulldog," I finished, and she nodded her head and went back into the kitchen. "You know that Nessie and Jacob are just now tolerating each other, yet you decide to be Jerry Springer! Then you hurt Ras and Toni? But what you did to Nema and Seth was just unspeakable. Jake told me everything because he felt that you should at least have some consequences since you just came out unscathed last night."

He was looking a bit guilty and replied, "I didn't know that Toni kept secrets from Ras, and I thought that Nema and Seth had already hashed out that little tidbit of information."

I rolled my eyes. "Sometimes, I swear you are so oblivious to _everything_ around you." I laid my hand on his shoulder, feeling the exciting prickles of electricity coursing through my hand as it made contact with his body.

"I really do hate seeing you disappointed in me, Claire-bear. I guess Jake was spot on with what would affect me. If it makes you feel better, I'm going to apologize. I didn't get the chance this morning because no one was around. They were all asleep," he explained, putting his hand over mine that was still resting on his shoulder.

"Don't get all sappy on me. I thought I taught you to be tough or to at least duck. Every blow from the broom made contact with you somewhere. Have you never played dodge ball? I thought that you guys would at least have great hand eye coordination."

"You'd think that I would've learned by now. Especially since I watched you beat down that guy you were dating…Kiowa with _his_ hockey stick." Quil sneered as he said Kiowa's name. He liked him even less than he had liked Alex.

"He had it coming," I said proudly.

Quil hugged me to him. "That's my girl."

He began to walk out the door toward his car, and I yelled over my shoulder to my parents, "Mom, Dad, you can come out now. My near attempted murder is over, there's no bloodshed. I took it easy on him." When Mom came out of the kitchen, I told her that I was going to see Renesmee and Seth and I would be back later.

"Have a good time, honey, and try to keep your hands to yourself and your feet on the floor. I'm pretty sure Charlie doesn't want to have to arrest you…again. I'm not so sure your dad would bail you out." She laughed.

"Mom, that was one time and Chase didn't press charges so it doesn't even count."

"Have fun, honey," she finally told me.

I practically ran to Quil's car, a green Chevy Aveo. I was excited to go back to the "cool kids' clubhouse". I was also excited to see Antonia. She wasn't as bad as Quil had talked her up to be. I pictured her as a red-eyed monster out for any and all human blood from all the precautions he had advised me to take, but as it turned out I needed none of those. She was completely cooltastic and in control.

When I got there, I was thinking of nothing but the party that I had arranged for us to have on the beach tonight. I saw Antonia and Ras sitting on the couch and I launched myself into Toni's lap, wrapping my arms around her neck and saying, "Your snack is back!" She looked completely shocked and frozen for a split second before she smiled. I didn't know why this shocked her; it wasn't like she didn't know that I wasn't afraid to get into her personal space. I kissed her on the cheek. "Aren't you going to hug me back? You know you want to!"

When she hugged me back, she said, "This goes against everything I was taught. I never played with my snacks." She laughed.

Still with my arms around her and sitting in her lap, I thought, _You know you missed me! Go ahead and admit it! I missed you too! You're way more fun than Quil! He always seems to have his boxers in a bunch about something._

_Of course, I missed you. We can't have a cool kids' club - as you put it before you got out of the car - without its president._

I looked at Rasika, who was sitting beside us watching in shock at my boldness to just jump into Antonia's lap. "Ras, can we share her? She's officially the coolest person I know…I think I'm in love!"

"She seems to like you, too, Claire, so how could I possibly deny a request like that?" Ras answered jokingly.

"Okay, I'll take her Sunday through Saturday –"

"I thought we were sharing, what day does that leave me?" Rasika asked.

"I'll give her back at Christmas," I told her, letting all the innocence and sweetness I could muster fill my voice. To this, they all laughed, and I hopped out of her lap before Quil burst a blood vessel from worrying about my close proximity to Toni.

"Where are Nema and Seth?" I asked, looking around for them and Nessie and Jake.

"Right here," Seth said from behind me as he and Nema walked in the door hand in hand.

"Jake, Ness, could you guys come down stairs? I have to tell you something." Jacob came down first, followed by Nessie, who was yawning as if she had just woken up.

"I just wanted to let all of you know that I have already set things up for the party tonight."

"What party?" Jake asked.

"The triple birthday party for me, Ness, and Toni! Did you guys think I was going to forget about it?"

"She works fast," Toni commented with approval.

"It's going to start around eight, and it's going to be on First Beach. I've arranged for the first half to be a bonfire with the Elders because I know Rasika hasn't had a chance to hear the legends yet, and I haven't heard them since I was a toddler. I don't remember much about them. After that the old people – the ones that actually _do_ age - are retiring to their homes and we are going to party!" Quil looked at me questioningly. "Before you open your mouth to sound like my father yet again, yes, my parents know about the party. Yes, I have their approval to be out past my curfew. Is there anything I missed, Father?"

"Not a thing. You covered all your bases. I'm impressed." Quil was standing beside me and had now put his arm around my shoulders as I leaned into him.

"Well, you guys, I hope you're ready to have some fun! In the words of the Black Eyed Peas, 'tonight's gonna be a good good night'!" I exclaimed excitedly.

**Rasika's Pov**

I felt the pull as Toni drew closer to the house grow in magnitude as I brushed my teeth getting ready to leave for the bonfire. I barely heard her feather light steps as she jumped through the window and landed on the floor, walking into the bathroom to see me. I felt complete as she leaned up and kissed my cheek.

_How was your hunt? _I asked her as I rinsed my mouth out.

_It was good. I even found a mountain lion. Carnivores just taste so much better than herbivores, _she replied casually as she stripped her shirt off and threw it in the hamper.

_Why are you changing? I didn't see any blood on that and I can't smell any either, _I asked as she left the bathroom and walked into our closet. When she didn't answer I just shook my head and started combing through my shoulder length hair. It was probably time for a cut.

_Don't you dare, _Toni warned me from her place in the closet. I chuckled to myself as I heard Claire's footsteps climbing the stairs. She paused to knock before she just walked in and went straight to the closet. Claire had been here all day. She and Toni gravitated toward each other. I understood why. Together they were quite the little pair of evil geniuses. Toni had already managed to almost give Quil two heart attacks today. The first was when Claire jumped into Toni's lap like it was the most normal thing in the world and later when she said she wished just once she could climb one of the huge trees around the yard. Quil said no and Toni walked right up to her and tossed her on her back. The pair of them took off like a rocket before anyone could move. They had had an amazing time playing dodge the big brown wolf with Quil as he barked and howled trying to get Toni to bring her back down. I was more than a little bit appreciative of what Claire's friendship did for Toni. It brought out the best in her she was playful and happy when Claire was around.

"Can you tie it for me?" I heard Toni ask Claire. I saw what she was talking about just moments later when she emerged in the bathroom with her own little evil mastermind behind her. She looked gorgeous in a black bikini top and dark wash jeans. She was handing me a yellow bikini to put on for myself.

"What's this for?" I asked her. We were supposed to be going to a bonfire.

"You are going to play in the water with me. I figure if I get overwhelmed or if we just want to get away for a few minutes we can go swimming," Toni said as she set the bikini on the counter and left the bathroom. I could hear her and Claire talking about the party while Claire went through Toni's extensive music library. She couldn't comprehend how Toni had missed out on something as basic as parties, while I slipped the swim suit I had never seen on and looked at myself in the mirror. It was tiny to put it mildly.

"You know I have noticed that my previously empty side of the wardrobe has gotten rather full and with an inexplicable amount of yellow at that," I stated nonchalantly as I opened the door and leaned against the frame. I was immediately greeted by Claire letting out a cat call and whistling.

"Damn, Rasi, you got it goin' on. You got fries to go with that shake? Did it hurt?"

"What?" As soon as the word left my mouth I knew I had made a mistake.

"When you fell from Heaven." Claire and Toni immediately broke into howling laughter that only enhanced my blush. I was used to lame pick up attempts from Toni. She thought they were hilarious, but to hear them coming from Claire was shocking. I didn't know if I should play along or just keep standing here. Toni approached me with a pair of my short denim cutoffs and kissed my cheek.

_It's okay. I won't get mad at you for playing along with us. I'm the one that told her to do it. Granted, getting you to fall for the last one was all her. _She chuckled into the crook of my neck. _Also, about your inexplicable amount of yellow, I think you look pretty in yellow. Until you shop for yourself I will probably continue to stock you in it. _

"Time to go guys," Seth yelled down from the living room. We all made our way down and Claire bounded into Quil's arms, only further proving our point about her being ready to know about imprinting. Toni and I were riding in her Maserati; Nema and Seth were riding alone too. Jake and Ness opted to be civil and ride with Quil and Claire.

The ride to La Push didn't take as long as I would have liked with Toni driving. My natural need to protect her wished she would drive slower even though my rational side knew she would be fine. Her reflexes were probably better than mine.

The bonfire they had lit on the beach was huge and the drift wood played with the flames - it was gorgeous and made me wish I had a camera. I could see most of Sam's pack had been invited along with their families. I made a b line straight for Emily. I hadn't seen her in a couple of weeks and I missed her. Toni held back and caught up with Nema and Seth, preferring not to be around Sam too much. She said his thoughts pissed her off.

When I got to Sam and Emily, I wasted no time in pulling her into a hug and telling her I was happy to see her.

"I'm happy to see you too. How are you and Antonia doing?" she asked politely.

"We're good. She's adjusting really well." I nodded at Sam in greeting.

"I heard Claire has been coming to your house." Sam surprised me by speaking to me at all.

"She has been," I told him stiffly not sure what he was getting at.

"Is Antonia at the house with her?" Of course, he wanted to see if Toni was going to try to take a snap at her.

"Yes, and they are becoming fast friends. Claire is probably the safest human in the world around Toni. I don't think she has it in her to harm a hair on Claire's head, Sam," I responded coolly, letting him know that I wouldn't cower and say I would keep them separated. I watched in humor as Emily elbowed him in the stomach.

"Let's go sit down, Rasika." Emily wasted no time in grabbing my hand and leading me back to the fire. I jumped into my space behind Toni and wrapped my arms around her. She was holding her hands out to the fire as if to warm them because she was cold, but that was absurd.

_What are you doing?_

_I'm warming my hands up just in case anyone touches me. I don't want make the humans uncomfortable. By the end of the stories I should feel almost human, _she thought back like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Old Quil was the best story teller I had ever heard. I was on the edge of my seat hearing the stories of the Quileute people, my people. After they were over, I thanked Old Quil for sharing them with me. He just smiled and said they were my histories too and walked away. Most of the older humans were already leaving and the music was already blaring as the dancing began. I felt an almost 98 degree Toni slip her hand in mine and pull me toward the water.

"Play with me?" she asked like I could tell her no.

"Lead the way," I told her as I stripped out of my cutoffs and she tossed her jeans on the roots of a tree before sprinting into the water. I couldn't help the panic as the minutes ticked by and Toni stayed submerged in the water. Just before I called her up I felt her now cold hand grab my ankle, tugging me under the water. I came up sputtering and spitting salt water out while she laughed at me.

"That wasn't funny," I told her, trying to get the water out of my nose. I felt her legs encircle my waist as she kissed my neck in apology.

_I'm sorry, loba feroz. _Please, like I was actually mad at her. Out of the blue a random thought struck me.

_Why did you give that creepy delivery guy my last name?_

_Oh, because I don't have one so I kind of had to invent myself one. Is that okay? _Her thoughts sounded uncertain.

_Of course, I actually really liked hearing my surname with yours. It made me really happy. What kind of documents did you put in that name?_ I was curious now.

_My driver's license, car registrations, credit cards and financial information. I need to get you to sign some papers by the way. _

_How did you manage all of this and papers for what_? I couldn't figure out what she would need my signature for.

_Jasper set me up with his guy in Seattle. I need you to sign some papers because your name is on all my accounts. It was surprisingly easy to get all of my financial information straightened out and set us up after the Volturi were defeated. We of course have the option of working but we don't really need money, _she responded casually.

_Anything else? _I asked a little confused that Toni had us both taken care of and I hadn't known it.

_Nope, I had to put my fake birth certificate under a different name. I thought being born under Moreau would be a little weird, _she added as an afterthought.

_So you basically have it set up like we're married? _Toni quirked her eyebrow up at my word choice and I started mentally berating myself.

_Yeah, I guess I do. Are you okay with that?_ She asked me again unsure.

_Yes, in fact I kind of like it. I really wish I could take you and make it official though._

_Are you asking me to marry you?_ Toni asked me with a huge smirk on her perfect face. She could be so cocky sometimes.

_Yes, but we can't. It's not legal in this country or this state at least_, I told her, suddenly disappointed that we couldn't get married even though it wasn't something I had thought of before.

_No, it's not. There are only six countries where it's legal. Fortunately one of them is only a few hours drive north. So what do you say let's get married in a couple days we can just hop in the car and drive to Canada. _

_Let's do it!_ I exclaimed as I crushed her lips to mine. The excitement in our kiss quickly turned into unbridled passion and lust. The feel of Toni's icy body combined with the weightless feeling of being in the water making me feel sensations I had never known before. It didn't take long for Toni to start kissing my neck and shoulders.

"Want to see how long I can hold my breath?" Before I could answer Toni was already underwater making me thank God that I had found her. A few hours later when I finally stopped showing her how much I appreciated her, Toni informed me that the party had pretty much wound down.

_Come on; let's go tell Seth and Nema._ As I watched Toni swim to the shore and run to our clothes I was left with an overwhelming sense of joy. I couldn't believe that in a couple of days she would actually be my wife.

**Quil's POV**

I couldn't believe that my Claire-bear had set up this whole bonfire. She was such a caring little spitfire, and no matter what I said I would have never been able to talk her out of this party. Hell, there isn't a person on this Earth that could talk Claire out of anything. I wished there could've been someone to talk her out of the outfit, or lack of outfit she had up and decided to wear to the bonfire.

She got dressed in my room, not my personal bathroom, but my room. I said I would leave so she could have her privacy and she started trying to undress with me in the room saying "Quil, don't have a fucking heart attack, they're just boobs". That girl was literally going to kill me if she didn't stop coming on to me like that. I sounded like such a punk. Claire stop coming on to me? I was a man, damn it! She wasn't in control of me; I was in control here. I'm the adult!

"Quil," Claire called my name from the other side of the fire and my head snapped up instantly. "Would you come over here for a second?"

"I'm coming, Claire-bear," I said automatically.

_So much for being a man,_ Antonia thought to me before her and Ras headed toward the water.

I rolled my eyes and then put on a smile when I reached Claire. "What's up?" I asked her, trying hard for my eyes to stay on hers and not look at the sexy red halter she was wearing or skim down her curvy little body to see those things she was calling shorts barely cover her shapely ass. _Damn! When did Claire become a woman? She still sounded like my little Claire-bear, but she suddenly had all these new parts. She had breasts, curves and a sexy little rounded ass. This is sick; I can't look at her this way. Why didn't she just put on some clothes? What about that damn Sponge Bob shirt I bought her last week? Where was that when I needed it? That wouldn't help either. I bought it a size too small, still thinking of my little Claire not this unintentional seductress standing before me. That shirt would probably hug her breasts, and be a little too short, revealing the caramel skin of her stomach…Quil! Get a fucking grip, man! What's happening to you? _I shook my head trying to clear it to listen to what Claire was talking about. I came in at the perfect moment.

"…But the reason I called you over here is because you were just too far away over there and you were quiet. I mean seriously, when are you ever quiet?"

Her ragging on me was so cute, especially when she talked nonstop like she was doing now. "When I'm sleeping," I added sarcastically.

"That's a damn lie and you know it. Remember when you slept over at my house on the couch? Mom almost flipped her fucking lid when she heard you snoring. She thought Dad was going crazy, mowing the lawn at eleven at night!" She grinned at me and I couldn't help but grin back.

"Very funny. It was your fault I was there in the first place. Miss I can't go to sleep unless you're here too, Quil." It was my turn to rag on her. She was not proud of it, but, the night I spoke of, Claire had been a frightened, mixed up mess. She looked so scared and worried about me, and she demanded that her parents let me stay in the house so that she could sleep without being scared. Jake said that it was a part of imprinting. Being away from each other for long periods of time could drive you insane, and apparently it doesn't just happen for the wolves, it happens for their imprints as well.

"Shut it," she said. "We're not talking about that again. Dance with me, Quil, please?"

I backed away a bit. There was no way I was touching her while I was mixed up and she was wearing _that_! "I'm sorry, Claire. Unless you want your toes broken you better leave me out of it."

Her eyes narrow on me then. "You _will _dance with me tonight, Quil. Trust me." She smiled mischievously and all I could think was _Aww hell. That smile always meant danger was on the horizon with that little mastermind. _

I went over to sit by Jake on a piece of drift wood, noticing that he seemed to be staring at Nessie, who was whispering in hushed tones with Claire. I couldn't make out what they were saying because Nessie had taught Claire just how low to whisper so that I couldn't pick up on it. Their little girl talk session had come to a close and they started dancing to the music. At first it was just light hearted and they flailed about, laughing, but soon the music had changed and Claire and Nessie got closer until they were grinding with each other. Jacob and I shared shocked glances, and we knew we were in for it.

As their dance got more heated, I sat straight up and crossed myself. I wasn't even Catholic but I did it anyway. I would need all the religion I could get. _Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned and the thoughts I'm having right now are so impure that you would probably have to make new place that's far worse than Hell to put me in!_

I couldn't help the erection that I was getting, watching Claire's body wind and roll as she was grinding with Nessie. The girl had talent, and I was kind of jealous that Nessie got to experience that talent and I hadn't. But it was my own fault for turning her down and now she was punishing me. I was gripping the side of the log that I was leaning against so hard that it broke, but I never once looked away from Claire. I really needed to get a grip on myself. She was just a baby. _Who was I kidding? No baby looked like that, or did things like that!_

After that song was over, and she and Nessie were laughing uncontrollably, I stood and had decided I wanted a piece of this Claire-tease she was doing, but she passed right by me without a second look and went over to Jake. She held out a hand to him and said, "Come on, Mr. Grinch. Even you with your tiny heart have to want a piece of this Claire action." Nessie laughed as she went over to sit with Nema and Seth to watch my crazy, sexy little imprint do her thing. Jake gave Nessie one last fleeting look before, to my surprise, dancing with _my_ imprint.

She was doing the same, if not more, grinding, winding and rolling with Jacob. He had his hands on her hips and his body was following every move hers made. I knew Jake didn't want Claire. I knew they were just dancing, but that didn't mean I wasn't getting angry. The hump that broke the camel's back was when Claire was giggling and flirting with him. "Holy fuck, Jake, maybe I've been looking at the wrong wolf. You've got moves!"

At that moment, I couldn't take it anymore. No one would be dancing with _my _Claire-bear but me. She was _mine_ and if anyone was going to feel that sexy little seductress rubbing up against them it would be me. I got up from where I was sitting to go burst up their little grinding party. When she was done dancing with him, she said in the best country accent she could, "I do declare, Jacob Black, I'm in lust with you."

Jake laughed. "So you're telling me I got skills, little bit?"

"Do you ever! Ness, is he as good in the sack as he is on the dance floor?" she asked.

To this Nessie laughed but answered, "Better!"

Claire finally turned her attention to me. "What? Is it my curfew now? You come to take me home?"

She had turned her back on me and began walking away, but I caught her around the waist, pulling her against me. I whispered close to her ear, "No. You're going to dance with me."

We began to sway and somewhere in a distant part of my mind it was screaming of all the things that I shouldn't have been doing. I shouldn't have been letting my hands explore her curvaceous form or grip her hips, pulling her closer so that I could feel her body against mine. I also shouldn't have let my lips ghost over her earlobe or down neck, never touching but so close that my breath tickled her skin, causing her to shiver. I shouldn't have turned her around so that I could see those beautiful, hazel eyes as she gazed at me unwaveringly. My hand shouldn't have travelled down her exposed back or rested on her sexy little ass before I squeezed it, causing Claire to moan. I smelled her arousal and it was dizzying, almost making me drunk with the aroma. I shouldn't have dipped my head down toward hers as she stood on her tip toes so that she could meet me halfway. Her eyes were half shut and her lips slightly parted. The tips of our noses were touching and our breath intermingling. Our lips were almost touching as she wrapped her arms around my neck waiting for me to come the centimeter more to meet her waiting lips. As my lips met hers, she melted against me, letting out a whimper. When our lips met, my world had exploded, my body was a live wire, and I was more aware of Claire's touch than ever before.

As we broke away from each other, she smiled big and I couldn't help but smile with her. "Kiss me again." She stood on her tip toes and closed her eyes, puckering her lips. How could I deny that request? This time, I lifted her off the ground and she instinctively wrapped her legs around me and her arms around my neck and when our lips met again, it was like fireworks and all those sappy ass love stories were happening all at once.

**Jacob's POV**

Coming back to La Push, after I had been away for so long, felt odd. I hadn't seen or spoken to my dad since he had put me out, but I knew he would be here tonight retelling the stories of our tribe. As I stepped foot on the beach, I saw him talking to Old Quil. I didn't know what I should do…talk to him or just ignore him, seeing as he didn't want to talk to me until I had straightened up my act. It had really only been two days since that had happened, but I wasn't so sure I wouldn't regress back into the ass that I had been. Words of wisdom about my predicament had come from the most unlikely source.

As I was sitting on a piece of driftwood off to myself, tearing off pieces of a stick that I had found and watching Nessie hug and talk to Emily and Sam, Antonia decided to weigh in on my inner battle. _You should talk to him._

Then, my head snapped to where she was sitting in the sand in front of Rasika. She looked at me too. _I'm not so sure he wants to speak to me right now. I was so disrespectful to him before Nessie came back. I shouldn't have even come; I don't know what I was thinking._

_Jake, if anybody knows it's me. Your father wants to talk to you, too. He misses you,_ she told me.

_Are you sure?_

_Are you seriously asking the telepath if I'm sure what's on someone's mind? _She rolled her eyes, and I couldn't help but laugh.

_Right, sorry. Thanks, Antonia, I owe you._

_Don't mention it._ I gave a nod and started to get up when she thought, _seriously, don't mention it. I'm supposed to hate you._

_It's cool, I hate you too,_ I thought just to make this little heart to heart with her a little less weird. I think this was the first time that we had ever actually had a mental conversation. Hell, this was the first time we had had a conversation period.

With my new found courage, I walked over to my dad and Old Quil. As soon as I walked up, he told my dad that he would talk to him in a few minutes, giving us some time to talk. "Hey, Dad," I began, unsure what else I should say.

"Jake. You look better," he replied, seeming as unsure as I was.

"I feel better now that I've let go of so much of the hostility I had building inside of me. I lashed out at you and you were only trying to help me through it. I treated my pack badly and I treated you worse. If I could take it back I would, but what's done is done and all I can ask of you is to forgive me."

For the first time in a long time, I saw my dad beaming at me. "You were a man in age, but now you truly have become a man, Jake. It takes a man to own up to his mistakes the way you just did. And what you did for Rasika – Seth told me – was a mark of a true Alpha. I have no doubt in your ability to lead and protect our people and the good citizens of Forks."

I hugged him then, and we talked, catching up on the things going on in each other's lives. My dad surprised me when he told me that he had met someone and was now dating. He promised that I'd get to meet her soon, but she couldn't make it today on such short notice. Dad promised me that things between Nessie and I would get better, and that we would work through this, even if it didn't turn out the way I wanted.

The storytelling had begun, and instead of listening, I watched Nessie from across the fire. Her hair had been pulled back into a curly ponytail, and she was wearing a green tank top and black shorts, looking more beautiful by the second even in such plain attire. She looked so sexy by the firelight. She was pale and stuck out like a sore thumb in the midst of our circle, but even through it all everyone still treated her like family. They were rooting for us to come out of this together even if neither of us saw a way to fix it.

Feeling my gaze, she looked my way, timidly smiling. I gave her a small nod and smiled back. It was moments like these that had me confused. I resented her for what happened in Florida, but these moments made me want to go to her and just kiss all the problems away. She broke the intensity of our stare when her voice floated into my mind. _Staring contest?_

I laughed and nodded in agreement. I narrowed my eyes, only focusing on her. This would be a piece of cake. I could stare at her all day without the motivation of a contest. She was the most beautiful woman on this Earth, how could I not enjoy the sight before me? Her eyes were alight with joy, and this was the first time I had seen her in a lighthearted mood. Nessie stared without wavering and a smile occupied her perfect lips. Soon, I was distracted by music starting to play and I turned to look at the source. As soon as I did, I remembered the reason why I had been concentrating so hard.

_I so just beat you! You wolves with your short attention spans,_ she gloated.

I walked over to her then. "Whatever, you had unfair advantage with your extra spacious vampire brain."

"Sure, sure," she had said and it brought a smile to my face to know she still said that.

After a while, just as Claire had predicted, all the older people had left us to our partying. I sat beside Quil as we watched Nessie and Claire practically taunting us with their dancing. I wanted Nessie so much, but I knew I would never have her in that way again. I was thanking God when the music had stopped, but then Claire had come up and asked me to dance. Since Quil wouldn't take her up on her offer, I figured what the Hell. This girl had proven that she knew her way around a dance floor. Quil had to be the stupidest man alive not to jump at the chance to be with Claire. She was pretty, funny, smart and she kept him on his toes. If that wasn't enough for him, the way that she was dancing would send any man – not bound to someone else – to their knees begging her to give them the time of day.

Claire was laying it on thick and I decided to play along, just to see if it ignited something in Quil. True to the plan, he manned up and grew a pair, asking Claire to dance. When they were dancing, I decided to take a walk to clear my head. Tonight had definitely been interesting. Somehow my walk had taken me to the garage at my dad's house.

Expecting solace there, I quickened my pace as if there was some dire need to be in that exact place at this moment. I didn't find solace, but I found Nessie standing in the opening looking in. I was standing a few paces behind her as she suddenly spoke softly. "I thought that I'd never see this place again."

"I thought I'd never see you again," I said honestly.

To this she turned, looking up at me, her eyes watery but she wasn't crying. With her looking at me this way, I gave over to the part of myself that had screamed out to touch her. I pulled her into my arms and she fit perfectly as if she had never left. For an instant, I was travelling back in time to the last time we were in this garage together. We were happy and nothing could tear us apart. Unthinkingly, I leaned down touching my lips to hers in a bittersweet kiss of anguish and love. She responded to my advance by kissing me back. We were a frenzy of passion exploding into one kiss. It said everything that we didn't have to – everything but the truth. I didn't want to come back down to reality just yet as I picked her up, taking her into the garage with me as our lips never parted from one another's. Her back was pressed against a wall and we clung to each other for dear life, trying to hold on to this one kiss to keep us afloat.

As soon as we broke for air, we were drowning in the painful reality that nothing had changed with that kiss. Our eyes locked, but neither of us said a thing. We didn't need to because we both knew. She pushed against my chest and I let her slide down until her feet touched the floor. I let go of her then and her eyes were downcast.

"I think we made a mistake," she whispered, turning her back to me. "Somewhere along the line we went wrong. Maybe we misunderstood."

"Misunderstood what?" I asked, but I already knew what she meant.

"The imprint. Maybe we weren't meant to be…together. Our relationship was a constant battle. When it was good, we were great, but when it wasn't, it devastated me. All we've done so far is hurt each other repeatedly. Sam and Emily aren't like that. They are perfect. None of the rest of them hurt each other the way we have."

My throat was closing and everything was closing in on me. I felt like she was saying goodbye again. "Look at me, please," I begged. She turned then with tears sliding down her cheeks. I grabbed her hand then. "I won't let you leave again. You're not running away this time."

"Jake, what about the pain? It hurts so much to be doing this…whatever it is. I'm hurting you constantly, even now when I try to tell you that maybe we weren't meant to be. Don't you see that even my honesty hurts?"

I twined our fingers, tightening my grip and rooting her where she stood. I wasn't hearing her reasoning here. All I was hearing were her goodbyes as she had uttered them in Florida and for the first time tears of my own came. I couldn't do this again. "I can take the pain."

"What?" Her head shot up then from looking down at our joined hands.

"I would rather have part of you than none of you. I can take the pain, just don't go. I'm begging you not to leave again." My voice quivered with my pleading.

"Can we really just be friends?" she asked, unsure of the possibility.

"It's going to be painful, but I can't watch you leave."

"Am I supposed to just watch you hurting?"

I couldn't answer her question, the pain was creeping upon me again. It was enough to bring me to my knees and I needed her confirmation fast that she wouldn't leave again. I would take whatever part of her I could get. "Friends?" I asked, needing her to agree for my sanity's sake.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting out a shaky breath. "Friends." I hugged her to me then as if she were a life preserver. That one word managed to keep me afloat from drowning in despair once more.

**Seth's POV**

Claire's bonfire party idea was pure genius. It not only celebrated three birthdays past, but it got both packs and their families together for an evening of storytelling. I got to see my mom and Charlie, as well as Leah and Jamie. This was not only Rasika's first time hearing the stories told by the Elders, but it was also Nema and Jamie's first time as well. Now since Charlie knew everything, I guess the stories also had a new meaning for him too.

When he reached us, he looked from Leah to Rasika, who was on the other side of loose based circle. "This isn't going to end badly, is it? I made a promise to myself never to be in the midst of those two together ever again, but you know how persistent your mother can be," Charlie commented.

I studied Mom's near innocent expression and I knew I didn't want to know how she had managed to talk Charlie into this gathering. "It shouldn't. Jake handled the situation."

Charlie seemed to visibly relax a bit as we all listened to the histories of our tribe. When that was over, Nema and I sat, holding hands and watching the "Claire show" play out. I swore that girl's life was better than any movie. She was a character in her own category. The numbers at the party soon dwindled down and the only people left around the fire were Nema and me, and Quil and Claire. Since Quil had finally staked a claim to Claire, they had been making out like it would be there last time together or something. Nema giggled as she watched them.

When they came up for air, I said, "Welcome back, guys, we missed you."

Quil smirked, but then asked, "What time is it?"

"Almost midnight," I told him.

"Shit! C'mon, Claire, we've got to get you home."

"Quil, don't start this fatherly crap again. My parents won't mind if I'm a little late. They know where I am," Claire insisted.

After he grabbed her hand, about to rush toward his car, he stopped. "Where are Jake and Nessie?"

"Jake and Nessie are both missing and no one's yelling? I think it's a miracle," Nema said. "Don't worry we'll give them a ride home. You two can go ahead."

He thanked us and began walking toward the parking lot with a resistant Claire. He picked her up with ease and slung her over his shoulder. Claire was yelling, "Put me down, Quil! I wasn't ready to go yet. Since you insist on taking me home so early, I better get my goodnight kiss, or I'll make you regret it!"

Nema and I both laughed. "What is Quil going to do with her?" she asked as she placed her hand in mine.

"There's not much he can do with her. When she was three, she had a princess party and made him wear a tiara. I knew then who would wear the pants in that relationship." She shook her head in wonderment. I stood then, taking her hand and pulling her up. "Looks like we have the beach to ourselves."

"Yeah, it appears that we do," she replied.

I stepped back, bowing low and holding out a hand to her. "May I have this dance, madam?"

She took my hand. "Why, sir, I thought you'd never ask."

We began to slow dance to a song playing on the radio. Nema's head was on my shoulder and I held her tight as we slowly swayed. In this moment, everything felt right. The stars were shining bright and the moon was full, casting its glow down upon us, making Nema's skin simply radiant. Her eyes were closed and she was humming along to the song.

"Nema, last night I thought I had lost you forever and the thought almost tore me apart. It was as if my world was ending and I was falling into the nothingness of life without you. I love you more than words can express, and with you by my side I feel complete." I stepped back, startling her as she had gotten lost in my words. She opened her eyes staring at me questioningly. I got down on one knee, holding her left hand. "I want to spend the rest of my existence with you, kitten. You're my first and only love and I'm asking you to be my wife." I pulled the ring I had had for a while from my pocket, looking up at her and waiting for her answer.

She was in shock and her free hand was covering her mouth. "Seth, what are you waiting for? Put the ring on my finger!" Nema exclaimed.

"I'm waiting for you to say yes!"

"Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes!"

I put the ring on her finger then, elated that someday soon she would officially be mine. Picking her up and twirling her around, she planted an excited kiss on me. "Are you ready to become Nema Clearwater?"

"God, yes! Seth, I love you so much!" She placed chaste kisses on my forehead, my cheeks, my nose and my lips over and over again.

After we celebrated, she hesitantly asked, "Can we keep this a secret for a while? I'd hate for this to be one more thing to just make Ness feel out of place, like we're rubbing our happiness in her face."

"Sure, sweetie, anything you want. We could have a secret engagement until the time is right to tell everyone."

"Tiger, you're amazing. We're going to have a little celebration of our own tonight when we get home," she told me with lust darkening her grey eyes. Nema kissed me lingeringly and took my bottom lip between her teeth, causing me to growl hungrily.

"Easy, Tiger," Antonia commented as her and Rasika came into view. "Clear your calendars for three days from now, we're taking a road trip to Canada. Ras and I are getting married."

**Hope you guys enjoyed! We really appreciate the reviews and favorites!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: we don't own Twilight or any recognizable characters.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 9: Let's Play Go Kiss in the Closet<strong>

**Claire's POV**

I was sitting cross-legged on the floor across from Quil as we played Go Fish. Sometimes I'd look over at him, noticing those panty wetter lips and they did their job. I knew everyone in the house knew what just looking at Quil did for me, and I wasn't in the least bit ashamed that they knew I wanted him. Since we shared that kiss a couple of days ago, that's all I've wanted to do is kiss him. It's been my life's dream. I mean who needs college? I'm doing just fine in lip locking 101.

He had suggested that we take a break from making out and just hang out for a while. I suggested Go Fish. It was a completely underrated game that could be fun if played right. "You got any sevens?" I asked him, finally managing to get my mind back on the game.

"No." He looked up at me then, trying to suppress a smile. Since our first kiss, Quil had had this big, goofy, adorable grin on face most of the time. "Go fish."

At that moment, I launched myself at him, tackling him. He knew that I wanted him to fall backward, so he did. Quil always knew what I wanted before I wanted it. After all there was no way in Hell I could've knocked him down. His body was rock hard…and every day I greatly appreciated that most of the time the wolves didn't wear shirts. Even now Quil was shirtless. I was straddling him with my hands on either side of the floor beside him. My lips touched his lightly in a chaste kiss before placing a lingering kiss on him as the tip of my tongue trailed across his bottom lip begging for entrance. He complied and I absolutely loved the way he responded to my kisses each time. He tangled his fingers into my hair, holding me to him and his free hand always seemed to find my ass. I realized then that Quil was an "ass man" and I had absolutely no problem with that.

We kissed until our lungs were about to give out and we had to break for air. He rolled us over so that he was hovering over me. "I said go fish, not go kiss." He was trying to go for serious, but that goofy grin was in place and I knew he wasn't.

"Who wants to play that, when we can play let's see how much you can turn Claire on with just your lips," I teased with a smile.

I heard a low rumble in Quil's chest and I knew he liked _that_ particular game way more than Go Fish. He took a break from my lips and started his assault upon my neck. He was nipping and gently biting me as his hand slipped under my shirt softly trailing up and down my stomach. When his teeth grazed down my neck, I shivered and involuntarily moaned out, "Oh, Quil."

I knew I had an audience then, because I felt Toni and Rasika's presence in the room. I knew it was them because none of the others would be watching Quil and I roll around the living room floor like this.

True to my instincts, Toni thought to me, _Look at you almost making a man out of Quil, finally._

_He's doing it all on his own with those sexy panty wetter lips of his._ Momentarily, my thought process had stopped all together when surprisingly Quil had slid my shirt up exposing my stomach and started trailing kisses across it. I was biting my lip then. That was so fucking hot! Quil was getting bold and he didn't even care that Toni and Ras were watching.

_Believe me, we _all_ know what those lips are doing to you,_ Toni laughed out loud.

"Keep it PG-13 in here kids," Rasika said and Quil simply pretended like she wasn't there.

_So is it official? He finally asked you to be his girlfriend?_

I was shocked out of my lust filled state when Toni asked me this. Come to think of it, Quil had not asked me a thing. We kissed and practically that's all we've been doing. He hadn't said anything about me being his girlfriend or even just being friends who touch each other. He had left out a big detail of our…whatever it was.

_No! Happy lips over here hasn't said anything!_ I let her know.

"Quil…Quil, what are we you doing?" I wasn't in the kissing mood anymore.

"Playing Go Kiss?" he asked, kissing his way up my neck to my lips as I sat up.

Just before he reached my lips, I put out my hand to stop him and his lips crashed into my palm. "No. I mean what are _we_?"

He looked puzzled for a moment, no doubt figuring out that Toni had something to do with this. "You didn't tell her, Happy lips?" she asked him. Quil didn't reply and she said, "Oh…well…Yeah…um. C'mon Ras, we've got to go be anywhere but here right now." They both went running up to their room, not looking back.

I turned my attention back to Quil then. "What are you leaving out?"

He jumped up pacing then. "I wanted to say this smoother and have a special moment all planned out."

"What's more special than Go Fish and sucking face on the living room floor?" I joked, trying to lighten the suddenly serious mood in the room.

It worked. He laughed and rolled his eyes. "Everyone else did this so much better than me. Claire, I don't know how to say this, but I imprinted on you." His eyes were concerned as he kneeled down again looking at me.

I was silent for a minute before I burst into laughter. "No shit! You think I didn't already know that? I was just waiting to see if you had the balls to come clean about it!"

Quil was sputtering before he finally managed to choke out, "How did you know?"

"What grown man do you know hanging around a kid for 14 years, treating her like she's God's gift to the world and he's not even related to her? You've got to give me more credit here. I'm not stupid."

"It doesn't weird you out?"

"Hell no!"

"It does to me. That's why I've got to lay down some rules about our relationship."

I sighed, running my hands through my hair. "I figured Father Quil would come out at some point. This was just too good to be true."

"Before you start wondering, no we're not friends that touch each other. If I see another guy so much as look at you the wrong way, I'm going to kill him. I'm drawing the line at kissing. That's all I can give you right now. It's all I feel comfortable doing. And right now we can't tell your parents about the change in our relationship, so Miss handsy, I'm going to need you to keep your hands to yourself when they are around. I know I'm hard to resist but, even you can manage that, right?" He grinned at me.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're the handsy one, Happy lips."

"Could you be serious for once?"

To that I laughed. "I'm sorry I don't even know what that word means." He rolled his eyes. "I've heard all the rules, but I failed to hear the answer to my question. What are we, Quil?"

"Well I was hoping that you'd be my girlfriend?" he mumbled.

"Come again? I didn't quite hear you," I toyed with him.

He repeated it again but louder this time, and I jumped at him again, practically mauling him with my kisses. "What do you say we go upstairs to your room and suck face – within the reasons of your terms and conditions, that is."

Quil picked me up, throwing me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and shook his head. "Claire, you're something else."

**Nema's POV**

I was in the kitchen cooking breakfast for Seth. He was going to have breakfast in bed today. My tiger deserved it, he even managed to tucker me out, and I didn't even need as much sleep as he did. I just slept regularly because it was the normal thing to do. I happily hummed the tune that we danced to last night. I wasn't the only one awake, this I knew but I was the only one up and about. Jake and Ness hadn't come back to find us, and we found them curled up on the couch in Billy's garage asleep together. I didn't want to wake them, figuring they would call when they were ready. Toni and Ras were upstairs doing only God knows what, and Quil and Claire were upstairs "sucking face" as she so eloquently put it. I was still coming down off the high of soon becoming Mrs. Nema Clearwater, when Antonia surprised me by walking downstairs.

"You whore! You got engaged and you were keeping it from me?" she accused.

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" _It's going to be a secret until the time is right. I don't want to ruin your big day with Ras, and I don't want to rub my happiness in Ness's face either._

_You're always thinking about others before yourself. If it was me, I'd be shouting it from rooftops right now. Hell, I already have. I've even called Hunter and the rest of our sisters and told them. Let me see the ring!_

I held out my hand to show her. It was a beautiful, yet antique ring. It was simple and but ornate, only having one diamond, with intricate shapes and designs circling the ring. This ring had history behind it and it made it even more special to me. _This was the ring his father, Harry, gave Sue when they got engaged._ I smiled, looking down at it. My engagement ring was simple enough to go unnoticed with just a passing glance, but upon further inspection, anyone would know what it was.

I began reliving the moment that he proposed so that I could share it with my sister, and she smiled. _Nema, you do know you ruined the traditional moment Seth was attempting with your answer, right?_ We laughed together because I knew, but I was just entirely too excited to be thinking straight. _So what's for breakfast? Rasika's stomach growling is the only reason I tore myself out of bed._

_I'm planning breakfast in bed for Seth._

_Tiger is all tuckered out from the praise he was giving you last night, huh? I guess he was hitting it so good you forgot your self implemented "I need to be fully clothed at all times" dress code._ Antonia was laughing at me then.

I couldn't have been more embarrassed. I felt the heat rise in my cheeks and I knew that I was blushing so much that it was visible under my dark skin. In all the excitement of becoming Mrs. Clearwater soon and the amazing sex with Seth last night and into the morning, I had walked out of our room in only his black button down shirt to make him breakfast.

_Okay, serious moment…There aren't any more holes in the walls I have to fix are there?_ She burst into laughter again.

I rolled my eyes, grabbing the tray of food and orange juice for Seth. _I'm going to take my _fiancé_ his breakfast. I'll talk to you when I'm fully clothed and you're not making fun of me._

When I walked back in the room, Seth was already awake and sitting up in bed flipping through the channels on the TV without interest. He looked up at me with a smile. "Kitten, you look so damn sexy in my shirt."

"I brought you breakfast in bed," I told him, placing it in his lap, but I could tell that's not what he wanted at the moment.

"It's wonderful, lovely love," he said, sitting the tray on the nightstand. My eyes were locked with his and they had turned black with lust. As if my body was moving on its own accord, I got into bed and straddled him, and he started unbuttoning the shirt. "But that's not what I'm in the mood for right now."

"You want something sweet?" I asked between gasps as he trailed kisses down my neck and kneaded my breasts.

"I already have it. It's a dish called Nema pudding and it's always served hot." I giggled as he took my shirt off and his lips finally met mine.

As we were kissing, my cell phone rang and Seth grabbed it instinctively. "Ignore it," I managed between kisses.

He stopped me. "I don't know, sweetums, it's not a number I recognize or a contact in your phone. It might be important."

He handed me the phone and I answered it as I shrugged back into the shirt and sat in his lap. Seth wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my shoulder.

"Hello, is this Nema?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

"Yes, this is she. How can I help you?"

"This is Mack –"

"Mack as in MY BABY SISTER, MACKENZIE?" I interrupted her. I was filled with joy at getting to hear my youngest sister's voice. I had never met her, but I wanted to and now she was calling me!

"The one and only, but quiet down damn! I'm in Seattle and I need you to come pick me up, but keep it on the DL because I want to surprise Antonia. If she thinks she's going to get married without me present, she has another thing coming! I mean really! Did she think just a call was going to suffice?"

"Truthfully, it wasn't even really a plan. It was just a spontaneous decision to make their relationship official," I tried to ease her mind so that she didn't think Toni was purposefully leaving her out.

"That would be like her to just jump the gun one day without much notice at all. So will I get to finally meet you when you come pick me up from the airport or are you going to make me run all the way there?"

"Of course not, Mack. I'll be there as fast as I can." I ended the call and jumped out of Seth's arms snatching random articles of clothing out of my drawer. It didn't matter if it matched or not. I was getting to meet my baby sister today. As I was putting on my jeans, I glanced over my shoulder at Seth, still sitting there with a confused expression on his face. "Don't just sit there! Get dressed! We've got to go!" I pulled out some clothes and threw them at him.

When he was dressed, I grabbed his hand dragging him to the garage. "Where are we going in such a hurry?" he asked.

"I'll tell you when we're out of Toni's hearing range."

I was already backing out before he had closed his door. We were speeding all the way to the Seattle airport as I filled him in on my haste to leave the house. He was excited for me to finally get to see the sister I never got to meet. I knew what she looked like because Toni had shown her to me in her thoughts when she mentioned her. Like Toni in the beginning, I didn't know who Mack was. Her likes and dislikes and her personality were a mystery to me. I was giddy at the prospect of meeting her.

When the car came to a stop, Seth jumped out, hugging a pole and saying, "Land! Oh I thought I was going to die for sure!"

I got out of the car walking past him. "Keep that up and that pole will be the only thing you'll be hugging. Let's go Mack is waiting."

I found Mack off to herself, looking slightly uneasy about the amount of humans in the airport. In all honesty, it bothered me as well, but I knew that I was completely in control. I just didn't know if she was. I walked up to her and she stood about five foot with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes.

"Mackenzie?" I asked, holding out a hand for her to shake. I really wanted to hug her but I didn't know if she would think that was appropriate.

She smiled brightly. "Are you kidding me? We're sisters, Nema!" She launched herself into my arms hugging me tight.

Once we were done hugging, she stood back. "I think I love you already for bring me this welcoming present." I was confused at first before I realized that she was talking about Seth.

Seth and I exchanged glances before I grabbed his hand. "Mackenzie, this is my boyfriend Seth."

He chuckled as she hugged him as well, holding him a little longer than she should have. "It's okay." She shrugged. "I'm pretty sure there are more beefcakes where he came from. Antonia told me there are a whole pack of wolves and from what I hear there are only two girls. So I know the odds are in my favor for coming across another perfectly chiseled god like this one."

"Oh yeah, trust me. There are plenty! And the very best part is they don't always wear shirts." I winked at her, and I could see Seth blushing.

"I have a feeling that I'm going to enjoy this trip." She poked Seth in the stomach. "You go shirtless too, beefcakes?"

Seth laughed, scratching his head, embarrassed. "Uh…yeah."

"Take it off now! Don't get dressed for my benefit!" Mack exclaimed as we walked to the car.

"Maybe later," Seth replied, finding Mack completely humorous.

In the car, Mack asked me tons of questions about my life and about Seth's. She was a curious little thing, and she always seemed to find humor in everything. As we got closer and closer to Forks, she seemed to be bouncing with excitement to see Toni.

As I was about to make the turn off the road, I saw Ness blur past and Jacob in wolf form right behind her. "What on Earth is going on with those two?"

Ness's toe touched the porch a millisecond before Jacob's paw and Jacob phased right there in front of us as Ness exclaimed, "Ha! I beat you!" I didn't know what those two had been up to. I swore it was like whiplash in their relationship. Maybe they were together now and maybe they weren't. Who knew anymore?

I thought Mack's eyes were going to bug out of her head as she watched the very naked Jacob Black put on his shorts. She hopped out of the car then. "Nema…You didn't tell me that they do _that!"_

"They are wolves. Of course they have to phase back and forth between forms."

She was shaking her head, gazing at Jake still. "No forget the wolfy thing they do. I mean they just walk around naked too!" Mack was still wide-eyed.

"Well, normally they don't. Jake has just gotten a bit comfortable around us and he didn't know we had company," I explained.

Jacob realized his blunder as soon as I had spoken. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize we had company…" He trailed off. Having never seen her before, he waited for an introduction.

"Ness, Jake, this is my little sister Ma –"

Before I could finish Toni was a blur of motion flying out of the house and swooping Mack into her arms. "Mack!" she exclaimed in surprise, smiling wider than ever.

**Antonia's Pov**

I was wrapped in Rasika's arms for the second day in a row. She had to patrol the day before and I had wedding arrangements but as soon as she got back the bed was calling both of us. We had finally decided to try to get up this morning because I wanted to play my violin. We just ended up christening the music room and Edward's piano; she shouldn't have bet me that I couldn't play Chopin while I ate her out. I won that bet. On second thought, she probably won that bet. We finally separated when Claire and Quil were playing go kiss in the living room, but my blunder at assuming Quil had told her about imprinting gave us the perfect excuse to crawl back into bed again.

I turned around in her arms to face her and drape my leg over her before I nuzzled my nose into the crook of her neck. I didn't care how long I lived I would never get enough of her smell. It was spicy and exotic and woodsy and perfect. In the distant part of my mind that wasn't thinking about the wolf lying in bed with me, I could swear I heard Mack's thoughts but that was impossible she was at home with the others.

"What are you concentrating so hard on?" Rasika asked me as she traced circles on my back.

"I think I'm going crazy. I swear I keep hearing Mack's thoughts." I started to purr into her neck as she ran her hand up and down her fingers creating paths of fire across my skin.

"Do you want to post pone the wedding and give them time to get here?" Ras asked me. She didn't really want to and neither did I we were both excited to get married, besides all the arrangements had been made anyway. I let those thoughts drift into her head. I could still hear Mack and it was like she was getting closer. I immediately recognized Nema and Seth's thoughts in the car with her. They were coming up on the house. _Seth has no idea what she looks like. If he's thinking about her it's because he met her. SHE'S REALLY HERE! _Rasika jumped up at the volume of my last thoughts as I jumped out of bed and threw on the closest pair of jeans and a tank top before running out of the house in a blur.

"MACK!" I exclaimed as I picked her up and she wrapped her legs around me. I was excited to see her. It wasn't easy to surprise me which really sucked because I loved them. "Mack, what are you doing here?" I asked her as I attempted to set her back on the ground, but she wasn't done hugging me yet.

"After you called I caught the first flight out of Dublin. The others weren't able to put off what they were doing though." She jumped off of me. "How dare you decide to get married before your family can make it! You are the first person in this family to get married and you were only going to let one of your sisters experience it with you!" She had started punching and hitting me everywhere in retaliation. I just let her do it. I deserved it. I probably could have planned it all out better. I saw Rasika emerge from the house not seeing the humor in watching the tiniest sister I had beat me up. She wasted no time trying to pull Mack off of me, big mistake.

I had never seen Mack climb a tree so fast. She got out of Rasika's reach and waited for her to turn around before jumping down onto her back. She wasted no time beating Ras up either. I on the other hand could see the humor that everyone else saw as I watched my little sister, who looked more like a tiny angel, beating up my 6'2" werewolf and winning. She was busy lecturing her between punches on the importance of family.

"Okay, Mack, enough we both get the message. Don't damage my wolf right before the wedding please," I told her when I could sense that the blows were starting to actually hurt Rasika.

"Damn, it's official. Never piss off a hybrid. They are so bad ass," Claire informed the entire collective party. Her and Quil had managed to pull themselves apart when they heard the commotion. Mack turned and started walking back towards the rest of us. She stopped when she smelled Claire. Her first thoughts were that we were going to have her for lunch. I wasted no time stepping in front of Claire and informing Mack that humans were not to be touched while she was here. If she wanted to hunt she had to leave the state. My actions didn't go unnoticed like I had hoped they would.

"Okay, sis, no problem. I can be a little purple people eater at home. I can try something new while I'm staying here. Isn't that right, beefcakes?" Mack winked at Seth. I just shook my head and laughed. This was the reason I missed Mack so much she was fun and a lot like Claire they were going to get along great.

_Rasika, are you okay, mi loba? _I was a little concerned because she was still lying in the yard.

_I'm alright. _She jumped to her feet. _Actually, I need to go. I have a date with a tattoo artist to have my wedding ring put on. _I laughed as she followed us in the house before heading toward the garage.

"Hey, where the Hell do you think you're going? Where's my kiss?" I told Ras as she grinned and at least had the decency to look abashed that she had almost left the house without kissing me. Quil started laughing uncontrollably and muttering about who wore the pants as she walked up placed her lips against mine softly. I wasn't having it. I took her chaste kiss and threw all of the passion I could muster into it combined with all of the memories I had of what we had been up to just a couple of hours ago. She whimpered as she crushed my body into hers with enough force to have snapped a human's spine in half. I could smell her arousal and so could everyone else in the room.

"Do they do this a lot?" I heard Mack ask Nema.

"Oh, yeah, all the time. In fact, if you make it back to Ireland without walking in on them having sex somewhere you are the luckiest person alive," I heard Claire respond. She had walked in on me and Ras in the music room this morning when she and Quil arrived. She wasn't as shy about the stuff as Quil was when she was around. He almost had a heart attack trying to get Claire in the living room while she said good morning.

"Great, Antonia, I have walked in on you having sex enough times to last me an eternity. Now stop making out like horny little humans or I'm going to scream," Mack threatened in a sing song voice. Rasika flew away from me.

"Not necessary I only need to experience that once," Ras told Mack as I hugged her before pushing her toward the garage.

"Get out of here before I take you back to bed." I pushed her into her Vanquish, gave her one last quick kiss and ran back in the house.

"Well, she's gone let's see the stuff." Claire told me. I could see they meant wedding stuff.

_Okay come on. All we really have are dresses and rings. It's all we needed,_ I thought to them as I led the way to my bedroom. _Nema, Ness, you coming?_ Nema was afraid that now that Mack was here we would forget all about her, which was insane she was family and we loved her. We all got to my bed room everyone but Claire and Mack avoided my bed like the plague knowing what me and Ras did on it on a regular basis. Ness felt the need to warn Mack and Claire while I was in my closet pulling out our dresses and shoes. Claire just shrugged her shoulders and said she didn't care. Mack basically told her she had developed an immunity to being grossed out by bodily fluids between me, Netiri and Hunter.

I laughed. "Remember all the times you and I ran into Hunter and Demetri's room to sleep with them when we were little and they had both looked more than a little bit frustrated with us." I cracked up as I lay the garment bags down on the bed. She just laughed with me.

"Yeah, looking back we were both serious cock blockers." She laughed as she started unzipping one of the bags. It had my dress in it. It was a white strapless dress that came down mid thigh with a black ribbon tied around the waist.

"Isn't that a little short to be a wedding dress?" Nema asked me.

"Well, I figured nothing about our marriage is conventional so why should the dresses be," I replied holding up the black strappy Jimmy Choos that went with it.

"I love Rasika's dress!" Claire exclaimed. It was a simple knee length black that underplayed the diamonds that ran up the straps where they criss crossed down her exposed back. She had a pair of black strappy Jimmy Choos with diamonds running across the straps to go with that dress also. Ness finally spoke up from beside Nema.

"How about the rings? Have you gotten them?" Ness asked.

"No, Ras is picking them up after her appointment with her tattoo artist. We had them engraved so even with a rush it took a couple of days," I told her as I started to put stuff away.

"What do they look like?" she asked. She was excited for us, but also reserved. I could see that she was in a little bit of pain. I showed them all my memory of what they looked like. They were both platinum rings with a two layer design and a tiny flawless diamond inserted in the center of each band. Rasika's would have the word _Mi Ciela_ engraved and mine would say _Ma Vie_.

"They're beautiful but what does that mean?" Claire asked. Nema and Ness spoke up saying mi Ciela meant my Heaven and ma vie meant my life.

"Why is Rasika having a wedding ring tattooed if she has one that matches yours?" Nema asked, catching on to where Ras was.

"She can't wear it when she has patrol or phases for whatever reason, so she wanted to have one put on that she couldn't take off," I told them, noticing Mack's thirst before she did.

"Mack you need to hunt you're thirsty," I told her. She hadn't noticed too much because she was enjoying hanging out with all of us.

"True, family hunting trip?" she asked, getting up and walking over to Nema.

"Come on, Claire, me and you can hang out while they get caught up," Ness told Claire as she led her out of the room and we all walked over to jump out of my window.

•••

We couldn't stop laughing as Mack stomped up to the house covered in mud and deer blood. Her first time hunting was less than successful. She ate but she made the biggest mess doing it.

"Mackenzie, if you want your bag is already in my room you can use my shower if you'd like," Nema told her stifling her chuckles.

"Thanks, Nema. I don't get it Antonia barely spilled and you don't even look like you've been hunting at all. I look like I just tried to take down a whole slaughter house and it was a huge epic fail!" Mack exclaimed a little frustrated at how her first animal hunting experience turned out. I kissed her cheek and went to the other side of the house to go to my own room.

When I got in the room, I heard Rasika in the shower and didn't bother to knock on the door. I hopped in stripped down and opened up the shower door. _Let me see, _I thought to her as I grabbed her hand. I just wanted an excuse to touch her. We had been separated for hours and it was killing me. The tattoo was well done and we were both happy with it. She had Heaven tattooed in Hindi. It is a beautiful written language and it was small so her ring would cover it when she wore it. I brought her hand to my lips and kissed her already healed finger.

_Turn around I'll wash your hair. _Rasika slowly turned me around to face the wall and quickly worked the shampoo through my hair. I grabbed the bottle of body wash off the shelf and handed it to her as she rinsed the suds out of my curls.

_Can you wash my back too?_ I leaned my head back as she washed my shoulders, my back and then my sides and wrapped her hands around to wash my stomach all the while lavishing my neck with kisses and nips. My breasts must have had a lot of blood on them because she spent what seemed like hours washing and kneading them although it was actually only about ten minutes. _What's my prize for winning our little bet today in the music room? _I asked her as I bit back a moan.

_I'll show you just as soon as I dry you off and comb your hair, _she told me as she threw the water off and jumped out of the shower wrapping a towel around herself and grabbing another for me.

_This better be good. I was more than in the mood in the shower,_ I grumbled as I crossed my arms while she towel dried my hair for me.

_It will be just be patient. _She laughed as she sat down on the bench behind me and combed my hair. We had started doing it every night before bed or after I got out of the shower. It was one of the most intimate things about our relationship it was simple and sweet. Once she finished, she stood up and put the comb back on the counter before she kneeled down in front of me and started kissing me softly. I wrapped my arms and legs around her as she stood up and carried us to our bed. She had just laid us down when I heard Mack and Claire's thoughts at the door. I was hoping to tell them to stay the Hell out of our bedroom but Rasika sucking my nipple into her mouth while simultaneously slipping her fingers inside of me muddled my thoughts too much. All I managed was a half moaned "Rasi…" before I heard them both bound through the door.

"Wow, I thought people were exaggerating about how often you two go naked. Rasika, please pull your hand out of my sister and vacate the premises and nobody gets hurt," Mack said sounding very 70's bad cop with Claire right beside her.

"Seriously, there seems to be a certain wedding tradition about not seeing the bride 24 hours before the wedding that you are both ignoring right now," Claire chimed in.

"Well nothing about our relationship is traditional so go away," I told them as I pulled Rasika back in to keep kissing me. I would start whether they were here or not eventually they would leave.

"Mack, be my muscle," Claire motioned to us.

"You got it, Claire," she replied as she jumped on the bed and pulled Ras off of me and onto the floor. She held her arm behind her back with her on her stomach while I sat up to gawk at what I had just witnessed. "Claire, be a dear and go get my new sister some pajamas so that she can go sleep elsewhere." Claire wasted no time running into the closet and coming out with two pairs of sleep clothes. One set she threw at me and the other at Rasika.

"Sorry, Ras, but I can't have you sleeping with my man naked." Claire shrugged as Mack picked her up and crossed her arms until she complied and put the clothes on. Mack then physically pushed her out of the room with a last "good night" and rounded on me.

"Get dressed so that me and Claire can get in bed. The human needs sleep you know. Chop chop I swear you are the slowest vampire on the planet when you get caught off guard." Mack laughed as she crawled into Rasika's side of the bed. I quickly put the shorts and t-shirt they had given me on and looked up at Claire.

"Scoot over you have to sleep in the middle so you can't escape in the middle of the night," Claire informed me. I wrapped Claire up as tight as I could with the extra blanket we had and then laid on top of it. Apparently Hunter's strategy lessons hadn't just sunk in with me. Mack had all her bases covered as she wrapped her warm arm around me. We both knew that if I made a move to get out of bed she would feel it and stop me. There was nothing else for me to do but think my goodnight to my wolf and go to sleep with Mack's arm around me and Claire cuddled into me.

•••

The next morning, I was not allowed out of my bedroom until Rasika and Mack had left the house with everything she would need to get dressed for the wedding in addition to what seemed like five thousand hair products that Mack thought she would need to style our hair. She was adamant about doing it the whole time preaching about no sisters of hers looking crazy on their wedding day.

After they had been gone an hour, I was finally allowed out of my room. I grabbed my dress and shoes and put them in Quil's car so that it would make it to the hotel in Vancouver. I walked inside feeling way to crummy for me to be getting married today.

"What's the matter?" Nema asked me as I moped into the kitchen after coming back in to put my stuff in the car.

"Nothing, it's crazy," I told her as I pulled the peanut butter out of the cabinet and grabbed a spoon.

"Trust me it can't be that crazy. It has to be important if it has you down on your wedding day." She sat down next to me and waited for me to tell her what was wrong.

"I miss her. I know that's insane because it's only been like ten hours since I saw her, but I really do miss her. Even before she moved in after patrol every night she would come see me before she ran back to La Push, and she would come back before patrol started. I'm not used to being without her for any amount of time. My heart hurts because she isn't around me," I told her, playing with my feel good human food.

"That isn't crazy. I understand you've never been away from her for this long. You should have seen me when you went to get Ness. I was a mess until Seth came back. Just think, you'll see her this afternoon and you get to make your relationship official to the human world and our world." Nema smiled at me and tucked a stray curl behind my ear. "Now let's get Quil and Jake fed so we can leave and you'll be that much closer to your wolf," Nema said as she put the finishing touches on everybody's breakfast.

Breakfast didn't take long with me standing there rushing everyone threw it. I was required to get to the hotel with everyone so that I wouldn't follow Rasika's thoughts until I found her. Nema and Claire were to be my babysitters for the day. Claire and Quil piled into the car with Nema and Seth and Ness and Jake took his Jaguar while I rode my ninja. It needed a little TLC. I thought to Quil and Jake that they better keep up with me and I had no intention of driving slow. My tires hit the road past the turn off to our house and I took off like a bullet. Jake kept up fine but Quil struggled in his little Aveo.

•••

I parked my ninja and waited at the entrance of the Opus hotel in Vancouver for the others. I really wanted to just go inside and look for Ras but Mack would have my ashes on a platter if I tried. Jake and Ness were the first ones to me.

"Nice place," Jake commented while he whistled. _Are you okay you look nervous? _Jake asked.

_I'm fine just a little antsy from being separated from her, _I thought back to him.

_Yeah, I get that. Here come the others. _"It took you guys long enough." Jake opened the door for Claire while I got Nema's and Quil went around to the trunk.

"Seriously, Quil, you have to get a decent car," I told him jokingly.

"If you think I should get a better car then give me your Maserati." I tried to grab my garment bag but he just shrugged me off and said that he, Seth and Jake had it and to go check in to the hotel.

"Not on your life, Quil," I laughed as we walked up to the front desk.

"Can I help you?" the woman behind the desk asked. She was eyeing the boys like she was a starving hyena and they were a three course meal.

"Yes, we have reservations under Atera and Moreau," I replied to her, not enjoying her internal debate on which wolf boy was more attractive.

"Here are your room keys for Atera and the keys to the Penthouse suite. Enjoy your stay at the Opus. If there is anything any of you need just let me know my name is Tabitha," she remarked as she winked at the boys. Ness, Nema and Claire were all debating ripping her throat out so I decided it was time for all of us to go upstairs and get dressed. Nema shocked us all by walking over to Seth and planting a huge kiss on his lips before she pulled him off to the elevators.

_Okay, mental note about Nema. Do _Not _look twice at her man. _I thought to everyone but Seth and Nema so that we could all share a laugh.

"So who gets to sleep in the penthouse?" Quil asked.

"Who do you think, Quil. Wait I'll give you a hint one is a screamer and the other can play the piano while they have sex, and _nobody_ is going to want to be anywhere near them tonight." Claire laughed.

"Oh, it won't matter Claire because everyone in this elevator but you is going to be able to hear them anyway," Ness joked.

"Ha ha that's right guys keep laughing at my expense. At least I'm getting laid tonight," I told them as I stepped off the elevator and walked down the hall to find our room.

"Showoff," I heard Claire mutter under her breath bringing her sexual frustrations front and center of her mind. That girl was going to kill Quil. I was willing to bet everyone in the house that she tricks him into bed before the New Year.

As soon as we walked in the room I shuffled Claire into the shower because I knew she would take the longest to get ready once she got out. Ness, Nema and I didn't need one we had taken one the day before and hadn't gone hunting since. Not sweating was like a god send in these situations. Now we didn't have to fight three werewolves and a human teenager for a shower. Nema called Mack as soon as we were in the room to tell her we were at the hotel whenever she was ready to do my hair and gave her the room number.

"Give me the phone," I told her reaching for it. She didn't think twice as she just gave it to me. "Mack, let me talk to Ras, please," I asked. I was willing to beg her just to let me talk to her for a minute.

"No," Mack was even using her no nonsense voice that she picked up from Hunter.

"Let me talk to her or I'm going to rip your arm off and beat you with it before I put it back on." I was getting agitated. Everyone was just looking at me. Quil decided to weigh in with a "Wow, It's really a wedding when family starts to fight. They're definitely sisters with threats like that going around."

"Fine but you get exactly one minute and I _will _take the phone away when it's up," Mack replied with an exasperated sigh.

"Toni?" I almost collapsed with the relief just hearing her voice brought me.

"Hey, mi loba. How are you? Mack isn't killing you is she?" I laughed into the phone trying to disguise my worry.

"No, I just got out of the shower. She is such a little Nazi. Her and Alice should get together sometime they are just alike with getting people dolled up for things." My internal clock told me we only had seconds left before Mack took the phone away so I had to tell her my goodbyes.

"Ha, Netiri is so much worse. I love you, mi loba feroz. Tu eres mi Ciela," I told her as I waited for Mack to take the phone back.

"I love you to-" I could hear the phone getting snatched away and Ras getting irate in the background.

"Get the wolves dressed and I'll be there to get you ready in a couple of hours. Tell beefcakes I said good morning." She giggled into the phone.

"Bye Mackenzie." I clicked the end button on Nema's phone and threw it back to her.

A couple of hours later I was putting the finishing touches on Seth's suit jacket while Nema tied his tie. They were just so damn cute sometimes while they were laughing and smiling with each other. I heard Mack's thoughts coming from down the hallway. She had finally managed to finish Ras up but she was refusing to think about what she looked like so she could hide it from me. Of all my sisters Mack had the most control of her thoughts around me. I opened the door to let her in. She walked in and completely took over. I sat on the chair in the bathroom like she had thought for me too.

"Okay, wolves, let me look at you," she announced as the boys walked over to her looking amazing in their suits. "Okay you guys look great. You all clean up real good isn't that right Beefcake?" she said as she leaned into Seth. I think I was the only one who thought her "advances" were funny. Nema was starting to get fed up with them. She kicked all of the wolves out of the room and told them to go keep Rasika company because she was losing her mind without me.

"Nema, you don't have to worry about Mack taking your man," I told her out loud as Mack spread out her torture products on the bathroom counter. "She's waiting for her true mate." Mack quickly combed through my hair.

"Huh," Nema couldn't help but say out loud.

"I'm still a virgin, Nema. I don't want any regrets when I find my mate so I'll wait as long as I have to. Why rush I have an eternity to practice baby making 101, right?" Mack held up part of my hair trying to decide what would look best. "Now I want to do an up do, but my existence was threatened by your bride to be if I pin your curls so we're just going to have to compromise. I think I want to leave your bangs out on one side and twist the rest in diagonals across the top. Finish it with a topknot and let your curls hang free." Mack had already started twisting my hair as she spoke so clearly I had no say. Thankfully what would have taken a human hours to pull off only took Mack twenty minutes and she was pacing herself.

"Okay, thanks to your mother being a model and our father being a vampire I was pretty much guaranteed to have a perfect canvas to work off of but even though you don't need makeup I want to make your eyes pop even more. I'm going to add a little eye shadow and liner plus these are really cool little jewels." Mack talked away while applying the makeup and sticking one jewel on the corner of each eye and another near my tear ducts. Her finishing touch was to pin a lily to my topknot and I was pronounced ready for my dress. Nema zipped me in while Ness and Claire put on my shoes and Mack grabbed her camera.

"Hunter made me promise to take pictures after you were ready and once you and Rasika actually got married so smile," Mack said as she started snapping pictures. Nema started backing away but I had to pull her back in. After Mack and Ness had enough pictures of everyone to fill a photo album, she walked in real close and raised the camera. _You'll understand this later_, she thought to me as she took a close up of my eye.

"Okay family time is up or Rasika is going to end up marrying someone else," Ness said from the door with Claire. I couldn't help the growl that built in my chest at the thought of Ras with anyone but me.

Rasika and the boys had arrived almost an hour before us. I saw her for the first time through Seth and I let out a small gasp at the sight in front of him. "Great one of the wolves gave away the surprise," Mack pouted. I was distracted with the sight in the wolves' thoughts. Her dress looked better on her than I had even dreamed, and Mack had done a wonderful job with her hair and makeup. She gave her a French twist it was simple yet classic. The final touch was the white lily that matched mine pinned to it. I could tell from the wolves' thoughts that Ras was a nervous wreck, but she had managed to talk to the judge about changing a small part of the vows from "'till death do us part" to "as long as we both shall live". It seemed more appropriate for beings that never planned on dying, knock on wood. We made our way to the room the small ceremony was to take place in a little faster than we should have.

As I opened the doors and made my way to Ras I had to hand it to Mack. I enjoyed the fact that Rasika's mind stalled for a moment when she saw me for the first time. I didn't hesitate as I walked to the front of the room with Nema at my side. Everyone else took their places behind us. I was in that moment immensely grateful for Nema and Seth as they gave us to each other. Seth placed a gentle kiss on the side of Rasika's head and whispered that she would always be his sister and he loved her. I barely caught the last part of his thoughts as he left off the _even if Sam doesn't._ I ignored it because it was an errant thought that he hadn't even realized he had. Nema hugged me tightly barely able to contain her tears of happiness for us as she placed my hand in Rasika's.

"Take care of her," Nema told my soon to be wife as she held our hands together.

"I will I promise." Ras leaned down and kissed Nema on the forehead. We turned to the judge as he began with the standard we are gathered here today. I couldn't take my eyes off of Ras and hers were glued to me. Neither of us were paying as much attention to the judge as I think we were supposed to be until the time came to recite our own vows. I went first because she was going to be the first to recite the more traditional vows.

"Rasika, you are my life, my world and mi Ciela. I was a broken toy the day you saw me in that field. I had been used to within an inch of my sanity. I was only able to see one way out, but then there was you offering up another solution. You have held me as I cried and painstakingly put the pieces of who I was meant to be back together again. I owe you my life and I'm honored that you are willing to share yourself with me for the rest of our days on this earth," I finished as she squeezed my hands and began her own vows.

"You owe me nothing. We are equals and always will be. You were not the only one to be saved by our relationship. I hated what I was every day of my life. It cost me my dreams, my friends and my family. I was wrong. Though it gave me the opportunity to see you and gain new friends and a new family, but most of all it gave me a new life with you. I may have put you back together again but you made me love the life I have for the first time in a long time. I love you." Rasika was only focusing on the two of us and I had to snap Rasika out of it as the Judge repeated himself about the rings a second time.

"Oh, right. Seth do you have it?" she asked Seth looking away from me for the first time as Seth set my ring in her hand. I was so enthralled by her that as she came to the close of her vows and slipped the ring on my finger I had to fight my body's natural reaction to kiss her with everything I had. Instead, I turned to Nema to collect Rasika's ring from her.

"Repeat after me…" was the last thing I heard the judge say. I knew the vows I just went ahead and said them all at once ignoring the repeating part.

"With this ring I signify to the world that I, Antonia, take you, Rasika, to be my wife, secure in the knowledge that you will be my constant friend, my faithful partner in life, and my one true love. On this day, I affirm to you in the presence of our friends and family my sacred promise to stay by your side as your wife in joy and in sorrow and through the good times and the bad. I promise to love you without reservation, comfort you in times of distress, encourage you to achieve all of your goals, laugh with you and cry with you, grow with you in mind and spirit, always be open and honest with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live." The silence in the room as I ended my vows and kissed the ring on her finger before looking up at her again was palpable.

"You know you can kiss her now, right?" the judge chuckled as Rasika threw every ounce of passion she could into our first official kiss, and I returned it with my whole heart. I think my knees actually gave out by the time the whistling and Seth and Mack yelling to save it for the honeymoon registered in both our minds. We finally separated as she thought _mine _to me andI quickly returned my usual answer of _yours _as she leaned her forehead against mine and we made our way outside where Mack took more pictures. The trip back to the hotel was quick although the two of us were slowly building nerves that neither of us could place.

The mood on the elevator was ecstatic. Everyone was in a great mood now that all of the pre wedding nerves and attitude were gone. Quil interrupted everyone's conversation with his stomach. "Hey we should go out to eat before Jake and I have to take the girls home. You two in?" he asked, looking at me and Rasika. We finally stopped, in the words of Claire, "sucking face" to look at him before we looked at each other and considered it for exactly .2 seconds before he was met by both of us with a resounding "NO!"

"Okay jeez just asking," he said as everyone got off the elevator to go get changed for dinner, and Ras and I went to our room for the night and the rest of tomorrow, or at least until we had to checkout, if I had any say at all.

**Rasika's Pov**

I had bats in my stomach - forget butterflies - as the elevator stopped on our floor. I couldn't understand it. It was still just the two of us we weren't different we just had a piece of paper and a couple of rings that told the whole world what we were. Well, hopefully not exactly not what we were that would suck to have a ring that could detect vampires and werewolves. Toni started chuckling at my thoughts as she leaned more fully into me. She had been pretty quiet for the trip back to the hotel and in the elevator even though she had been insistent on kissing me the entire way. That was probably the reason she hadn't been talking. I kept catching snippets of her thoughts and how she was feeling.

I held her hand as we walked to our room. After we got there I let her open the door before I scooped her up and started kissing her like she was oxygen as I carried her into the room. _I didn't know we were doing the carry over the threshold thing, _she thought as her lips traveled down my neck to the sensitive spot behind my ear.

_Well, it is tradition. _I could barely think speaking was out of the question.

_Yes, because the half vampire and werewolf lesbians scream tradition_, she mocked as she ran her tongue around the shell of my ear. I gently set her on her feet and started to pull the pins out of the topknot her sister had put in her hair. I was happy Mack had done as I asked and kept her hair down for the most part. She did a wonderful job. If someone had told me they could enhance her beauty before today I would have called them a liar, but my new little sister managed.

I kissed her softly as I turned her back to me and swept her curls over her shoulder so I could see the smooth planes of her back and shoulders as I unzipped her dress. I felt the need to run my fingers down every inch that I exposed before I let her dress fall to the floor. She turned to face me, her blue and gold eyes looking straight through to my soul.

_I believe you're a bit overdressed for this party Mrs. Moreau, _she chuckled as she slid to her knees and started gathering my dress in her hands and raising it up my thighs, following with an icy trail of kisses. I felt like I was losing my mind as her lips met my hips on their journey north. When she stood and dropped my dress to the ground I had to restrain myself from attacking her. I wanted to take my time with her first. I didn't want our first time married to be a crazed lust fueled struggle until we came, probably breaking furniture in the process. She wrapped her hand around the back of my neck and pulled me to her waiting lips as she let me see her current thoughts. She wanted to bite me, but this was different from the others she had given me since we learned what it did for both of us. She wanted to take a part of me into her the only way that we could. She wanted to drink from me. I started kissing her neck letting her know I was okay with it as she kissed and licked her way to my chest, above my heart. I braced myself for the initial pain as I felt her teeth slice through the skin. I shuddered as I felt the pull of her taking my blood for only seconds before she licked up any falling blood while my body healed itself.

By the time I laid her on the floor and began kissing a trail down her body it was nothing more than two angry red lines. In just a few more minutes there would be no evidence of the intimate act we had just shared. I could feel her pulling pins out of my hair while I spread kisses over her breasts as she moaned and arched into me. I slowly kissed further down her cool skin until I reached her black lace panties that I really hoped she wasn't in love with as I gripped them with my teeth and ripped them off of her. I gently kissed her soaking opening before I traveled down first one leg and then up the other, trying to kiss and lick every inch of her. I flipped her on her stomach as I reached her hip and started my slow torture again from the back of her neck down her body. I could hear her begging in an interesting mix of Spanish and Italian, although I couldn't understand any of it, as she moaned and rolled her hips. After I reached the small of her back I went back for one more pass over her scars. I kissed the couple on her shoulder and upper back before I kissed the bite on her calf. I turned her over so that I could kiss the scar on her ribcage and ending in the scar over her heart and the one on her collar bone. I dragged my tongue down her abdomen as she pulled my partially taken down hair and moaned. I ghosted my breath across her slit until she got sick of my game and surprised me by arching into my mouth. I loved the taste of her she was sweet with a hint of spice. I could hear her thoughts and how I felt to her after she hit my tongue it took only minutes for her to reach her release. Her mind was silent again as I kissed her abdomen. I would have stayed there all day until her thoughts floated into my mind.

_We never made it to the bed,_ she laughed.

_No, we didn't, but we have all night to get there_. I looked at her before she tossed me to the side and ran to the bedroom.

**Nessie's POV**

Rasika and Antonia's wedding was a beautiful affair. It wasn't at all because of the setting or the dresses and make up. What made it beautiful were their words and their love for each other. It was conveyed with every utterance, every touch, and every glance. I was happy for them, but the sight also made my heart ache. I wished them all the happiness in the world and their union today brought tears to my eyes for their happiness – and for the emptiness I felt.

We were riding back in Quil's compact, little Aveo, and it was taking forever to get home. I closed my eyes pretending to be asleep, just so that I could have an excuse to put my head on Jake's shoulder. It was hard pretending to be asleep when I had to listen to Quil and Claire arguing about the radio station. Everything had been fine until Claire started rapping about licking lollipops and then Quil had decided it was time for some Radio Disney. After a while, Jake absentmindedly wrapped an arm around me and it instantly reminded me of the two days we had spent in La Push together after the bonfire party.

After agreeing to just be friends, something truly just broke inside of me as I looked at Jacob, lying his ass off about the pain just to get me to stay around. I burst into tears, begging and pleading with him to forgive me for always hurting him and never knowing the right thing to do. We sat on the couch and he held me as I cried, and he cried too, saying that he was partly to blame for just how fucked up our relationship had become. That night, we cried together until no more tears would fall, letting out all our pain and falling asleep together on the couch. We woke then next morning to Billy calling for us to wake because he had breakfast ready.

He was so overjoyed to see us together that neither of us had the heart to tell him that we had settled on just being friends. Jake and I decided that since Nema and Seth had left us, we would just stick around La Push for a while and work on being friends, seeing as the house was full of sickeningly happy imprints, Nema and Seth, and the sex crazed imprints, Rasika and Antonia. It really took a toll on the two of us and most our anger stemmed from having to see what could've been for us and the crashing reality of what wasn't. Being together without a single relationship to go by was refreshing, and we were just able to hang out and be friends. We went cliff diving together, rode his motorcycle, and spent some quality time with Billy. It was truly fun and Jacob and I had managed it without any hurt feelings or foul words toward each other. After two days of our "friend workshop" as we liked to call it, we decided it was time to come home. He had offered to take his motorcycle back, but nothing would ever compare to the rush and free feeling of running. Jake even decided on having a friendly wager about who would reach the house first. What would the winner receive? One last kiss that could be cashed in at any time. I won but I hadn't cashed in on my winnings yet.

I opened my eyes as we arrived back at the house, feeling the car come to a stop. Claire had her arms folded, generally unhappy about having to listen to Hannah Montana all the way home. "God, Quil, you drive slower than my grandmother! At least she has the decency to get in the slow lane if she's going to drive 55 on the interstate! It's a sad day when people are passing you in the slow lane."

"Just shut up and kiss me. I know you're just cranky about going a whole day without getting to suck face with me," Quil said rather smugly.

Oh these two were something else. When she leaned in to kiss him, I knew that it was my queue to leave. Even Quil and Claire were turning into…well there wasn't really a category for what they were. I got out of the car before they started making out, and Jake hopped out as well after reminding Quil of what time he had to patrol.

I knew that Jake and I would have the house to ourselves tonight because Claire had cleared things with her parents for Quil to stay over. Since their relationship had started to change, being without each was starting to prove more difficult for the two of them. Though Quil would have to sleep on the couch, just his presence in the house with her would comfort her. It had been that way for Jacob and me, but my dad hadn't been so lenient. Jacob slept outside my bedroom window most nights, but the close proximity was enough for a while. The thought of the way we used to be put a damper on my semi content mood.

Jake walked me inside the house and checked that everything was just as we left it, so that I would be safe when he went to patrol in a few minutes. Who would be waiting in the shadows of a house occupied by hybrids and wolves was a mystery to me, but I let him check it out without saying a word. When he was done with his security check, he told me that he would be done in a couple of hours to trade off with Quil. Jake made a move as if he was going to kiss me goodbye, but then backed away awkwardly, apologizing and leaving me standing there.

I was alone now, in more ways than one. I tried to go to bed, but all I ended up doing was thinking of Jacob and me the way we used to be before the war with the Volturi. We were happy, and probably would've been married by now had it not been for all the unforeseen circumstances. He and I would have been standing before our friends and family professing our love and making it official, just as Antonia and Rasika had done today. Our lives would have turned out completely different had the Volturi never came, and Nahuel had never visited, but that would have meant that Rasika and Seth's lives would have been affected as well.

I got out of bed then, making my way back down to the living room to sit on the couch in the dark. I sat curled into a ball with my knees pressed to my chest and my arms wrapped around them. The thought of what our lives would have been had all of this never happened made me feel even worst. Had Nahuel never ventured back to Forks to make me his, Nema would have never met Seth, and if I hadn't turned Nahuel down, he wouldn't have gone to the Volturi to strike up a fight and Rasika would have never met Antonia. In a way, it seemed that good things happened to them, because bad things happened to me, but I wouldn't dare trade their happiness for my own. The fact that I wasn't with Jacob was my own fault. Everything was my fault. I had two chances and I blew them both. In Florida, he begged me not to send him away, but I didn't want him to miss La Push and I made the decision for him. In the garage, we kissed and all the sparks were still there, the passion and the love, but I didn't know if we could fix all the wrongs so instead of asking him I decided for him what was best.

With painful clarity, I realized that it was all on me. Jacob was never to blame for any of this. I had set it all in motion and I could fix it, but I was scared. What if after all the rejection, he rejected me this time? After all the pain, what if he didn't want to go through it with me anymore? All I would have to say when he walked back in the door were three little words, and he would know. That's the reason he made the bet, and that's the reason he let me win the race. He was giving me the choice. All I had to say was"kiss me, Jacob" and he would know. I could've said it on the porch after I'd won, but the words were frozen in my throat. I could've said it in the car on the way to the wedding, but I talked myself out of it. It could've easily been said at dinner after the wedding, but I felt that it was too soon. _Too soon for what though? What am I waiting for? I just have to open my mouth when he gets in the door and say kiss me, Jacob. That's it three words. I can think it, but why can't I say it. Maybe I can practice before he gets here._

The first time, no sound came out. The words just resonated in my mind, but never translated. I stood then, pacing back and forth chanting to myself that I could do this. I took a deep breath, visualizing him walking through the door, and I said, "Kiss me, Jacob." With a contented sigh that the words could come out, I smiled.

As soon as the words left my mouth, a very naked Jacob burst through the door, crossing the room in four strides. Without saying a word, he picked me up and his lips came crashing into mine in a searing kiss. There was no way I would mess this up a third time. I threw myself headlong into the kiss, giving him everything and holding nothing back. Jake's lips against mine were rough and demanding. His tongue swirled around in my mouth, greedily tasting me. The kiss was insistent as he took and took as if his life depended on this one moment. In response, I gave without complaint.

When we broke for air, my legs were wrapped around his waist and my arms around his neck. I was clinging to him so tight that no one would have ever been able to pry me off. "Jacob, I'm so sor-" His lips collided with mine again, silencing my apology. He pulled back just slightly, as if he was going to say something, and it was me this time showering him in kisses. I placed them on his cheeks, his lips, and his nose, all the while thinking to him how sorry I was and I how much I needed him in my life.

He was walking with me then, as he quickly snatched my tank top over my head, throwing it over his shoulder and it landed on the ceiling fan. His tongue ran down my neck and over the swell of my breasts. He bit down on my already hardened nipple through thin lace of my pink bra. I moaned out in pleasure, and he repeated the motion this time biting down harder, causing me to whimper. With one hand, I began to fumble with the claps on my bra, needing it off so that I could feel Jake's lips on my skin. I was too excited, feeling too much need for Jake, and in too much of a rush to swiftly remove it. My hands had become clumsy. Jake just simply tugged on the front and ripped it off of me as we reached the second floor. Feeling his mouth on my exposed flesh felt even better than it had through my bra. He was tugging at my pants and I unwrapped my legs from around him so that he could slide them off.

We were standing in our bedroom doorway as he painstakingly took his time taking off my pants. I realized then that Jake was calling all the shots tonight. His lips found mine again as his hands went under the waist band of my pajamas. He pulled them down slowly, stopping to squeeze my ass and pull me closer to him. His hands traveled down my thighs before the pants simply fell to the floor. Jake leaned me up against the wall, hooking my right leg around him, and started grinding his erection against me. I leaned my head back against the wall. The friction felt so good through my soaking wet panties. I needed Jacob touching me. I needed his hands on me, his lips on me, and I needed him inside of me.

_Please,_ I thought to him and he complied, picking me up once more and laying me in bed.

He kissed his way down to my panties, taking them off with his teeth and licking his way up my right thigh. He stopped before he got to my hip, and did the same with the other thigh. Jake came up kissing my stomach and then my breasts, saving my lips for last. "Do you know how long I've waited to see you in my bed?" he asked, his voice just a seductive whisper. "I've dreamed more than a million times of what it would be like to taste you again." He licked the length of my stomach with the tip of his tongue. Jake continued on down, dipping his tongue inside my pooling wetness. I moaned out his name, and he repeated the action twice more.

"Oh God." I shivered. Jake was teasing me, and I needed more. I was throbbing and swollen with need, feeling like I was going to explode if he didn't touch me soon. He was watching me, waiting and playing the cruelest teasing game I had ever played. Just when my hand moved to touch myself since he wouldn't do it, he grabbed it pinning it down on the bed with a smile. He knew that I couldn't take anymore. When his tongue entered me, I thought I was going to come at that moment. His tongue explored me, and his thumb teased my clit. I felt my body tensing. There was no way after teasing me that much could I hold back. I tangled my fingers in his hair, holding him in place as I whimpered and begged for more. I was coming undone then, screaming his name over and over as violent spasms racked through me. I was in complete ecstasy.

When the spasms stopped, and I was back from cloud fifteen – fuck cloud nine Jake had taken me much higher – all I could manage to say was, "Oh Jake…that was…" I couldn't even find a word for what all the building up to that release was.

Jake kissed me then, his tongue caressing mine. "You know, you seem to talk entirely too much." He smiled against my lips, taking my bottom lips between his teeth.

I flipped him onto his back so fast he didn't even know what was happening. I was on top, hovering over him now. "And you know, you are taking entirely too long to make sure that I'm thoroughly fucked."

Without a word, he rolled us over once more, getting on his knees and placing my leg in the air so that my foot rested on his shoulder, he finally entered me, filling me completely. It felt amazing to finally having my missing puzzle piece. He began thrusting hard and fast, all the teasing had been taking a toll on him as well. He needed me as much as I needed him right now. Jake started kissing and biting my neck and pinching my nipples as he thrust into me. My hands were roaming up and down his back, digging and scratching. It felt so good that I never wanted it to end. "Don't stop, Jake. Please don't stop," I begged. He complied, pounding into me faster and harder. My hands were in his hair again and I was pulling and tugging, as I screamed for more, meeting his thrusts with thrusts of my own. We were both so close, but I didn't want it to end yet. "Jake…Jake," I managed to say his name in short gasps. "Please...oh please…oh…oh, baby…I'm not ready…can we slow - " I couldn't finish because his tongue was flicking over my nipple, causing me to moan out his name, but he complied with my request to slow down.

We were making love now, slowly and passionately he filled me over and over. Jake was moaning my name with every slow thrust, as my hands roamed up and down his chiseled chest and rigid, rock hard abs. I sat up, kissing him, and nibbling on his earlobe, before I bit down on his neck. I knew that Jake couldn't hold on much longer and neither could I. I slipped my hands between us massaging his cock as it entered me. "Nessie, I can't hold on much longer," he groaned. He laid me back then and began thrusting into me hard, with more force than ever before. Jake was still moving at his slow pace but he was pulling all the way out of me and thrusting in hard, causing the bed to shift away from the wall. He did this over and over with me screaming for more. Soon we were in the middle of the room, and it felt so good that he wasn't being gentle with me. I begged for it faster. I was on the brink and so was he.

He began plunging into me as fast and as hard as he could and the bed ended up on the other side of the room. "Oh Jake, yes. Oh…shit! Fuck…Fuck…Fuck." His face was in the crook of my neck and he was biting down on me harder than I thought he was capable of as I screamed. I could feel my body tensing and I could feel myself toppling over the edge as he went faster, plunged deeper, and thrust harder. Jake was moving with such force that it probably would have killed a human. His teeth had broken through my skin and for the first time in my life I was bleeding as he bit down on me, and he had this guttural growl coming from him as he continued to plow into me. At the speed we were going the bed had reached the other wall and had completely burst through the wall and into the closet. But that didn't stop us in the least. We kept going as mine and Jake's climax was vastly approaching. As we came, I screamed out Jake's name so loud that it probably woke up everyone in Forks, and if it hadn't the feral sound coming from him would have.

Jake slumped over, falling on top of me and I held him to me. "_Damn_," we said at the same time.

We were silent for a few minutes. Jake was still trying to catch his breath as I laid still, hoping that my neck would heal before he noticed how hard he had bitten me. "Are you okay?" he asked, lifting his head, touching his lips tenderly to mine.

"I'm great," was all I managed. I was better than great. I was fanfuckingtastic.

"I hurt you. I bit you harder than I even knew I was capable of biting you. I don't know if…how does it…do you heal?"

I turned my head. "Do you see it? I don't even feel the pain anymore." He kissed the spot gently, and I knew that I had healed.

He gathered me in his arms so that I was laying on top of him and his arms were wrapped securely around me. "Nessie, I love you. I never want to lose you again. You're my world, even when you weren't in it, it still revolved around you. All the stuff I did was to try to forget you, but I never could. You were always number one, and you always will be."

"Jacob, I love you more than anything. And this may seem off base, but everything I did I thought was in your best interest, but I made decisions for you and not with you. I will never do that to you again, baby, I promise. I can't lose you anymore. I'm really sorry for not seeing it sooner."

"I've missed you so much. I just want to forget about the past, and make a future with you. You're the only one I want – the only woman I'll ever want. I just need you to promise me one thing." He touched his forehead to mine and our noses were touching.

"Anything."

"You will never leave me again, no matter what."

"I promise." My lips touched his. "I will never in all of my existence leave you no matter what."

We kissed and made love on and off for the rest of the night, confessing our eternal love for one another. In that moment, I had been the happiest woman on the planet. All was right in my world once again.

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